･ LAPIS LAZULI III ･
by prettiugli
Summary: Part 3 of the Lapis Lazuli series! Kaiba is waiting. Atem is waiting. Will Kaiba's attempts to create a barrier into the present world be successful? Will Atem walk through the barrier when the time comes? [COMPLETE]
1. Chapter 1

Kaiba stood anxiously in the sealed room, hearing Mokuba's voice echoing through his ear piece.

 _"So…it's been forever. Is he coming or not? M-Maybe you should sit down, Seto…"_

"I'm fine, Mokuba," Kaiba responded through clenched teeth, trying to appear calm, but he knew his heart rate was elevated, and Mokuba could see that on his screen.

He was sure that he had gotten it right. He had mapped out every inch of Atem's room from the scan he had acquired while he had been unconscious on the pharaoh's bed. This was going to fucking work.

Atem just needed to be _in_ his room.

"Shit," Kaiba cursed under his breath as he realized he had been so caught up in his own excitement that he had forgotten to set a meeting time with Atem.  
Fuck.

"What?!" Mokuba cried shrilly in his ear, and Kaiba winced.

"Nothing," he responded tightly, planting his feet firmly apart and folding his arms across his chest, staring at the blank wall in the room.

If the first attempt failed, he would try again, and again, in pulses, so it wouldn't disrupt anything critical.

He bit back a sigh and gazed up at the two large pylons flanking the blank wall, thinking that this was the best he could do. This was the best material money could buy…on this entire fucking planet.

 _"Seto, it's been a whole day,"_ Mokuba said softly in his ear. _"I'm hungry. You've been standing there for the past…eight hours and seven minutes."_

"He's coming," Kaiba said robotically, staring intently at the wall.

Time worked differently there, he knew that much.

He had slept for 24 hours, and as a result, a year and a few months had passed when he returned.

Mokuba had hugged him tearfully, while his technicians showed him charts of his brain activity from his year-long coma.

This meant Atem had probably been waiting for at least a year.  
At least.

Shit.

Kaiba swayed slightly on the spot, willing Atem to appear, feeling his knees grow weak from exhaustion.

Nothing happened.  
Everything remained silent,

 _"Seto! Please come back inside!"_ Mokuba shouted so loudly into the earpiece, there was a sharp electronic whine. _"Just leave it on! It's monitored 24/7 anyway! Why do you need to be in there?!"_

Fine. Fine. Goddammit.

Kaiba tore the earpiece out and kept it clenched in his fist while he slammed his palm right up against the scanner, letting the door slide open with a soft hiss, and he stalked out of the room, hearing it re-seal behind him with a solid click.

He stood motionless in the hallway, hearing Mokuba's frantic knocks on the glass, and he tried to suppress the wave of uncertainty that was rising quickly.

What if Atem didn't want to step through the portal? What if he had changed his mind?

 _Then I'm just wasting my time and energy,_ Kaiba thought angrily, storming off down the hallway towards the control room, willing himself to feel nothing.

They had kissed! So, what the hell did that kiss mean?

Atem had romantic feelings for him.

Atem would emerge from the barrier.

He was sure of it.

* * *

Atem knelt on the ground in the dark, poking at the small pile of embers and ash with a stick, satisfied with his handiwork.

Every page had been successfully burned.

He stood slowly and gave it a rough kick, scattering the pile in the darkness.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp night air.

If he died while walking through the portal, so be it. What was life anyway?

He heard the soft rustle of footsteps coming up behind him on the stone path and he tensed, turning around to see Seth, towering above him, looking unusually stern.

"Pharaoh," the priest said respectfully, bowing his head and averting his gaze.

Atem blinked and swallowed nervously, his heart racing his chest.

What did he want? It didn't matter. What mattered was that the portal was going to show up any minute now!

"Step aside," Atem said quietly, attempting to dodge him quickly, but his path was blocked again as Seth stood before him stubbornly with his arms folded across his chest.

"Did I do something to make you angry?" the priest asked nervously, trying to make out an expression on the pharaoh's face in the darkness. "You've been avoiding me."

"And if you have, now isn't a good time to be talking about this," Atem responded angrily, giving Seth a rough shove to the side. Without waiting to see his reaction, Atem rushed back inside the palace, cursing under his breath.

He dashed through the dark hallways, counting the steps back to his room, holding his breath, feeling his heart thudding loudly in his ears.

The portal had better be there.

Atem burst into his room, trying to catch his breath as he was blinded by a searing white light coming from the window. Struggling to keep his eyes open, Atem raised a hand to shield his face from the light as he walked steadily forward, his heart threatening to explode from his chest.

It was here!  
Was this it?!

Either the light was a hallucination that led him straight out the window, and he would break both his legs due to the fall, or…it was real, and walking through it meant he would enter Kaiba's world.

Yugi. Yugi's world.

Atem wavered on the spot, hesitating for a moment before he realized the opening was getting smaller.

Rocking back and forth on his feet, he took three steps back and grit his teeth, tensing his legs as he sprinted directly into the white light.

His heels stung as they hit the ground with force but he ignored the pain and continued barreling forwards into the blank space. There was nothing around him. Everything was white, but there was solid ground beneath his feet, and the air was thin. It was getting harder to breathe, and it was as if an invisible hand had reached down inside of him to grab his lungs, slowly squeezing the air out of them with every step forward.

Atem blinked rapidly, seeing green spots dancing in his vision as he pressed on, and cold fear gripped his entire being.  
There was nothing here! Where was the other side?

In a sudden rush of anger and desperation, Atem charged forward with the last of his energy.

His toes caught on something invisible which sent him crashing to the ground painfully, and his palms slapped against cold tiles while his eyes stung from the brightness of it all.

A screaming alarm went off somewhere above him, and the noise sent shooting sharp threads of pain directly into his eyes, causing a throbbing headache to build behind his ears.

"Curse you, Kaiba!" Atem yelled, feeling nauseous and dizzy as his vision began fading in and out.

There was nothing.  
Just whiteness.  
And pain.  
A pain in his chest, which was spreading like fire throughout his entire body.

Atem shut his eyes tightly and struggled to his feet, feeling his knees give out as his world went dark.

Kaiba raced frantically through the wide hallway towards the sealed room with the loud clattering of the gurney echoing behind him, followed by several sets of pattering footsteps.

He was hating himself for leaving the control platform, even if it had been at Mokuba's insistence.

Kaiba took long strides towards the glass room, and his heart stuck in his throat when he saw a lifeless spiky-haired figure lying face down and motionless on the floor of the room.

Shit. Shit.

He slammed his hand down on the sensor and the doors slid open with a soft hiss.

The nurses rushed into the room before him, and the gurney ran over the top of his left foot in their haste.

With his eyes watering with pain, Kaiba watched as two men gently lifted Atem up onto the stretcher as the other two nurses stood flanking the bed, their hands pressing down onto his body everywhere, checking his vitals.

The two nurses shared a grim look and Kaiba gripped the doorframe, his anxiety rising as his legs threatened to give out beneath him.

"Spit it out," he breathed, watching them shake their heads and wheel the bed towards the door hurriedly, their eyes wide with panic.

"Step aside, Mr. Kaiba. We'll see you in the other room," the nurse closest to him said hurriedly.

Kaiba blinked rapidly, trying to contain his own panic as he let them brush past, and he caught a brief glimpse of Atem's gold-adorned arm draped limply over the side of the stretcher.

He raced after the gurney, unable to tear his eyes away from the golden cuffs hugging Atem's tanned ankles.  
Was this real?  
Or was this a horrible nightmare he couldn't wake up from?  
Because he had had way better dreams than this.  
In some dreams, Atem had come walking through the barrier with a smile.

"What's wrong with him?" he heard himself ask, and one of the nurses who still had her hand to Atem's neck answered him vaguely. "Irregular heartbeat…elevated temperature…we don't know."

The stretcher was pulled into another room and Kaiba stood off to the side as he watched his medical team bustle purposefully around Atem, his anxiety rising higher and higher the longer Atem remained unconscious.

He looked thin. Had he always been this slender?

"We need to remove all of this metal," another nurse said, tapping at Atem's collar and arm bands.

Kaiba swallowed nervously and nodded, watching Atem's wrist flop uselessly as two doctors moved to help the nurses remove the jewelry.

Feeling as if he was in a faraway land watching his own life from a distance, Kaiba gathered Atem's finery in his arms and moved away from the bed to find a place to put them down.

It was heavy. All of it was heavy.

It was real. All of this was real.

He placed them in a neat stack on the seat of a metal chair and sat down in the one beside it, crossing one leg over the other, his heart racing uncontrollably.

His back was drenched in a cold sweat.

What if something had happened to Atem while he passed through the portal? Something terrible? Something irreparable? Had his mind been affected?

But he had come through in one piece!

Kaiba palmed his face, pinching his brow anxiously.

But just because the person lying in that bed looked like Atem, did not necessarily meant that it _was_ Atem.

His mind could be gone, and this body might remain lifeless forever.

That was the worst possible scenario.

Kaiba forced the unpleasant thought from his mind and tried to refocus.

He stared at his shoes.

They were very black against the white tiles.

He could hear the unsteady beeping of the heart monitor and concerned murmurs of the medical staff.  
His ears were ringing with white noise.  
He couldn't hear what they were saying.

Atem was fine. Atem would wake up.

He would wait. Kaiba vowed to wait.

It didn't matter if Atem woke an hour from now, or ten years from now.

What mattered was that he was here.

He was really, physically here.

The Pharaoh, the true king of games, Atem, was here, in this realm.

It had worked.  
But had it really worked if he didn't wake up?

"Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba jerked his head up so quickly, his neck ached.

A masked doctor stood before him respectfully, bowing stiffly before speaking. "We've managed to stabilize him, but…"

"But what?" Kaiba growled, slowly rising to his feet, catching another glimpse of the bottoms of Atem's blackened shoes.

"It seems he may have suffered a mild cardiac arrest, either from stress or malnutrition," the doctor said calmly. "We've done everything we can for now, and we'll monitor him closely for the next…"

Kaiba didn't hear the rest of anything the doctor said.

Cardiac arrest?! Malnutrition?! All of his fucking efforts were somehow thwarted because Atem's ancient diet was so poor, he couldn't withstand the stress of exiting the portal!

What the hell did they eat over there?!

"Mr. Kaiba?" the doctor cleared his throat politely. "There should be no lasting damage...mental or physical. We'll put him through a scan as soon as he is able."

Kaiba curled his fingers into the palm of his hand and nodded tightly, watching the doctor bow again before hurrying back towards the machine that was now hovering at Atem's bedside.

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was driving him insane, so he quietly exited the room, trying to quell the surge of despair curling deep in his chest.

* * *

Atem pried his eyes open slowly, staring up at the dim strips of light in the ceiling above him.

He sat up slowly and winced, feeling oddly sore all over. He swept his gaze around the sterile, spacious room, and realized with a pleasant jolt that Kaiba was asleep in the chair right beside him.

There was another chair beside Kaiba, and in that seat sat a stack of his arm bands, ankle bands, his shoes, his crown and collar, and his clothes.

Atem blinked and glanced down at himself, reddening slightly when he realized he was wearing a thin, blue paper gown.

Different colored tubes were attached to the middle of his arm, and they were connected to a strange machine hanging above his head, from which a solid beeping was steadily emitting.

Thin white tubes were also attached to his chest, stomach and thighs, and just looking at them made his skin itch.

Atem stared intently at the middle of his arm, counting the tubes and swallowing his fear as he spied the dark purple and black bruises surrounding the base of each tube where it connected to his skin.

 _Am I sick?_ he thought fearfully, hearing the beeping noise increase above his head along with the frantic beats of his heart, and he stared at the numbers on the screen, thinking he knew the name for this medical box.

Heart monitor.

Blinking slowly, Atem stared at Kaiba's motionless form in the chair, holding his breath and wondering if he was dreaming.

Kaiba's pale hand was propping up his head on the armrest, and his light brown hair fell softly over his knuckles, obscuring his eyes completely.

"Kaiba…?" Atem spoke tentatively, lifting one of his legs and wiggling his toes, thinking he felt fine.

Well, if Kaiba was sitting here, this meant he had made it through the portal!

Atem leaned daringly over the edge of the bed, reaching his hand out, trying to touch any part of Kaiba, but the second he stretched his arm out all the way, the middle of his arm stung badly.

Hissing in annoyance, Atem curled his fingers over the tubes, freezing suddenly when he felt sharp metal points digging into his skin, causing more mild thuds of pain to shoot up his arm.

Needles. These tubes had metal points at the ends.

Gritting his teeth, Atem carefully peeled the plastic off his skin and slowly extracted one tube out of his skin, frowning at the odd clear liquid leaking from the metal tip.

It pooled across his skin before it dripped down onto the white sheets, and a foul smell invaded his nostrils.

Disgusted, Atem pushed it off the bed and proceeded to extract the other sets of tubes from his arm, working quickly, thinking that he could sit on Kaiba's lap until he woke up. That would be a pleasant surprise for him.

He pulled the odd plastic clamp off from his index finger and suddenly, a shrill blaring alarm sounded wildly in the room.

Tensing in fear, Atem watched as Kaiba jerked awake and stared right at him for a brief second before a team of masked doctors and nurses appeared seemingly out of nowhere and converged around him, hiding Kaiba from his view.

"I'm fine…I'm fine!" Atem insisted, shaking his head at the main doctor who was wearing white. He could feel gloved hands grabbing at his arms and re-inserting the tubes.

One nurse had a finger to his neck, checking his pulse, while another nurse swiped a flat, bitter tasting strip of paper across his tongue. Another man hovered over him, shining a light into his eyes while lightly pulling at his cheeks.

"Don't move, please," a commanding voice said from somewhere above him. "Can you tell us how you feel? What was the last thing you ate?"

"Kaiba…get them off me," Atem said firmly, staring at the gloved hands snaking up his arm and taping the tubes firmly down into his skin.

"No," came Kaiba's cold voice from behind the doctor somewhere on his left. "Answer the question."

"I'm fine," Atem said angrily, glaring at the doctor to his right as the thermometer was removed from his ear. "And nothing. I ate nothing for the past three days."

There was a long silence, and the crowd of nurses to his left parted respectfully as Kaiba towered furiously at the edge of his bed, his eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"Why the fuck would you do that?!" he spat, and Atem swallowed nervously, glancing around at the shocked faces around them.

"I wasn't-I wasn't hungry," Atem said weakly, and there was another heavy silence.

" _You almost died because of that_ ," Kaiba hissed through clenched teeth, and Atem blinked slowly, feeling lightheaded as cold gloved hands squeezed the back of his neck and let go just as suddenly.

"He's quite stable now, Mr. Kaiba," a man said, somewhere to his right. "Bed rest and fluids."

"How long have I been unconscious?" Atem asked fearfully, jerking his arm away from the nurse who kept patting the plastic seal at the middle of his arm. The fluids were making his body feel oddly numb.

All eyes turned on him and Atem felt his skin burn.

"Speak Japanese," Kaiba said tersely as the two nurses at his side moved away silently.

Atem sat up straighter, startled. Wh-What…?

"I just did," he replied indignantly, and he watched Kaiba shake his head slowly, looking strangely distant, so he spoke again. "How long have I been unconscious? Tell me!"

Kaiba blinked rapidly, staring into Atem's angular eyes, feeling his chest grow tight. What the hell…?! He had been speaking just fine a few seconds ago, but now, he couldn't understand a word the pharaoh was saying!

"I think we need to put him through a scanner," Kaiba said tightly, addressing the doctor standing across from him, and he walked away quickly, hearing Atem shout after him, the strange syllables ringing oddly in his ears.

"Come back here! What scanner?! How long have I been unconscious?!" Atem grit his teeth and tried to shrug the doctor off of him, but the hand on his shoulder only tightened further.

A wheelchair appeared at the edge of the bed, and many warm hands helped him off the bed and into the chair.

Trying to contain his panic, Atem's eyes darted around the room, wondering why there was no furniture. Kaiba was standing at the door, holding it open for the group of nurses and doctors who filed past him silently, each bobbing their heads politely when they passed.

Frowning, Atem shot Kaiba a glare as he was wheeled past and Kaiba tried to quell his rising panic.  
What if it was some weird voodoo shit that was making Atem forget the Japanese language?

 _But how would he have learned Japanese in the first place?_ Kaiba wondered as he tried to sort his thoughts out in his confusion. _Through Yugi?_

He planted his feet apart in the hallway behind the glass window and watched the doctors help Atem onto the MRI table.

"Does he have any piercings or other metals in his body?" the doctor's voice warbled through the speaker, and Kaiba clenched his jaw. How the fuck was he supposed to know the answer to that?!

He saw Atem shake his head vigorously and open his mouth to speak, but again, strange sounds fell from his lips, and Kaiba felt himself sweat. Oh fuck.  
Well, hopefully this language barrier was temporary.  
They could understand each other perfectly before, so there was no reason they wouldn't be able to do so again.

The soft pattering of footsteps echoed up the hallway and Mokuba appeared at his side, pressing his nose against the glass, sounding breathless and excited. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Seto! Is that…?!"

"Yeah, that's him," Kaiba replied hollowly, watching Atem's tanned feet slide back into view as he slid out of the scanner and was helped off the table by several nurses.

Kaiba saw Mokuba pull out his cell phone and he frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Texting Yugi!" Mokuba replied excitedly, and Kaiba snatched the phone out of his hands, holding it out of reach, his heart pounding nervously in his chest as Mokuba glared angrily at him.

"Hey!" Mokuba cried, folding his arms across his chest, wondering why Seto was suddenly against spreading the word of his own accomplishments.

Atem turned his head when he heard voices through the glass and stared at the unfamiliar face standing beside Kaiba, wondering who the second spectator was.  
It was a young teenager in his pajamas. He had sleek black hair and wide, angular eyes.  
Wait.  
Atem felt the wheelchair move forward as he was pushed towards the door and he received a mild shock when the teenager waved at him, grinning widely.

The smile was familiar.  
M-Mokuba?!

Frozen in disbelief, Atem willed his arm to move upwards to return the wave, but found that he couldn't. Mokuba looked exactly the way he did in one of his dreams! How many years had passed? But Kaiba looked…relatively the same.

He was silently wheeled past the Kaiba brothers and back into the empty room with no furniture before he was helped back into the lone hospital bed.

The two nurses worked quickly, reinserting the needles into his arm.  
Atem winced when they stung slightly and the plastic clamp was secured over his index finger again, causing the infuriating beeping from the heart monitor to resume.

A rush of footsteps echoed through the room, and Atem glanced up excitedly, watching Mokuba approach his bedside cautiously with a small smile.

"Pharaoh!"

Wow, Mokuba's voice even sounded different. He was like a fully-grown man already!

Atem tried to rearrange his face into a pleasant expression but he knew that his shock clearly showed through.

"Or…do we still call you Yugi?" Mokuba fidgeted nervously, spying the stack of gold jewelry on the metal chair leaning against the wall. He figured that Seto's names for the Pharaoh were all inappropriate, and calling him "The One True King" to his face felt awkward.

"Mokuba," Atem said warmly, managing a smile, this time and he tried his best to ignore the way Kaiba was hovering behind his little brother.

But Mokuba wasn't 'little' anymore, because his head now reached the center of Kaiba's chest, and Atem couldn't help but stare.

"You remember me!" Mokuba cried, throwing his older brother an excited smile over his shoulder and craning his head to look upwards. "He remembers me!"

"You can understand me?" Kaiba spoke, sounding as numb and hollow as he felt, and he watched Atem nod slowly, looking very serious.

"I can. Can you understand me?" Atem asked hopefully, and the shocked look on Mokuba's face was the only answer he needed.

"Wh-What language is that, Seto?" Mokuba asked shrilly, giving his brother's arm a frantic tug and watching Atem's expression darken.

"Shit," Kaiba cursed, and Atem made a frantic writing motion with his hands. Pen and paper.

"I'll get it!" Mokuba said hastily, rushing out of the room and slamming the door loudly behind him, leaving Kaiba and Atem in the ringing silence.

A strange pressure began building behind his eyes, and Atem forced himself to remain calm. Had he somehow lost the ability to speak Japanese?

But he understood everything perfectly! And the first few sentences he had spoken when he first opened his eyes had been understood.

Gripping the hospital sheets tightly, Atem gazed up into Kaiba's face, catching his eye and seeing his expression pulled into one of deep worry.

"I'm really fine," Atem ventured, trying his best to twist his tongue into sounds that were familiar, but all he could hear was his own voice, speaking his own language fluently.

"Do you think in Japanese?" Kaiba asked roughly, and already in his mind, he was thinking of ways to sync an electronic translator to Atem's voice.

 _Do I?_ Atem wondered frantically, feeling his palms sweat with nervousness _. How would I even know?!_

Kaiba watched Atem lean back into the pillows and fold his arms across his chest, looking deeply pensive. This was an expression he had sorely missed. This was the face he was the most accustomed to seeing across the dueling arena!

His heart pounded tightly in his chest before leaping into his throat when he saw Atem tuck his hand under his chin, clearly still lost in thought.  
He looked so confused…he looked so handsome when he looked confused….

Without thinking, Kaiba acted on a whim and bent down to kiss him, feeling Atem freeze for a moment before slowly unfolding his arms to throw them over his shoulders, pulling him in close as their tongues melted against each other in a happy greeting.

Atem's breath hitched painfully in his chest each time he tried to take a small breath as Kaiba's warm scent of coffee and something else washed over him like a calm wave. Kaiba's lips were soft against his, but he was being kissed with deep fervor.  
He could feel the pillows sinking down beside him on either side as Kaiba's hands were pressed into the cushions while he leaned down into him from above.

He could taste Kaiba's sweet breath on the tip of his tongue each time he pulled away and came back with a passionate force, and it was the most wonderful thing.

Kaiba felt himself falling deeper and deeper into Atem. The warm arms wrapped around his neck sent searing waves of fire running up and down his entire body while Atem kissed him back with equal vigor, his silky tongue occasionally slipping in and out across his lips, tasting like a wonderful mint.  
It felt so nice, it felt so familiar….  
There was no pause in their motions and Atem seemed to innately understand exactly what he wanted.

Kaiba boldly slid his arm lower down along the pillows, the tips of his fingers finding the thin opening at the back of Atem's hospital gown, and he slid his hand in smoothly to touch him, burning at the heat of Atem's skin.

Atem shivered happily at his touch and nibbled playfully on his lower lip, smiling into the kiss and opening his eyes a slight crack, enjoying the way light brown hair obscured his vision, and he shut them again, sighing happily as his stomach tightened with arousal.

This was the kiss he wanted! This was better than any kiss he could've dreamed of! More! More of this…did Kaiba want to touch him more underneath…?

Mokuba dashed through the hallway, carrying the tablet in his arms, his chest bursting with excitement.

He leaned the door open and was rooted to the spot with shock and horror at what he saw. Seto was bent over the hospital bed, furiously kissing Atem on the mouth with one knee pressed against the edge of the plastic bed frame, and Atem's tanned hand was sliding suggestively up and down the center of his crotch.

Mokuba was having trouble finding his voice.  
His chest tightened with a crushing feeling as he watched Seto reach down to press Atem's hand tighter onto his bulge underneath his pants, and Mokuba felt himself burn with a mixture of terror and humiliation.

What the heck was this?! G-GROSS!

He opened his mouth to shout, but found that his voice was stuck in his throat and had formed an enormous lump, choking the air out of him the longer he stood there, watching Seto buck his hips shamelessly into Atem's palm and hearing Atem's deep laugh echo throughout the room.

"S-Stop it…stop it…" Mokuba whispered weakly, and he kicked the door shut behind him, causing a loud bang, startling both Seto and Atem, and both heads turned to stare in his direction.

Atem felt his heart stop in his chest the moment Kaiba pulled away, causing his lips to burn and swell from the sudden loss of contact.

Kaiba paled and hastily extracted himself from Atem, folding his arms across his chest before turning to face the wall, feeling his entire body burn while his erection throbbed painfully.  
Damn.

The last thing he needed was for Mokuba to think he had pulled Atem from the afterlife so that they could fuck. Well, that was on his to-do list, but it would've been preferable if Mokuba didn't know that.

"What…the heck is wrong with you?!" Mokuba fumed, directing the question at Seto and gripping the tablet so hard, his fingers slipped on the glass surface from his nervous sweat.  
Why was Seto touching Atem like that?!  
No, actually, the real questions was: Why was Atem touching Seto like that?!  
Seto was in his year-long coma because…he wanted his dick stroked by Atem?!

He glared intensely at Seto's back and watched Atem lower his head so much, his blonde bangs obscured his face.

"Yeah, be embarrassed!" Mokuba shouted, finally finding his voice. "Here's your stupid tablet, Yugi."

He tossed the electronic pad onto the hospital bed and stomped off, not bothering to look behind him once.

Atem blinked rapidly, composing himself quickly before reaching for the tablet and tapping it, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of his own heart. Mokuba was angry.

A pale hand reached down across his nose and snatched the tablet out of his hands, and Atem bit back a retort, watching Kaiba's eyes light up as he swirled his finger across the surface before dropping it back into his lap.

Atem stared at the sentence Kaiba had written.

 _"No sex until the doctor says OK."_

Bristling at this, Atem pressed his finger onto the blank surface and hastily wrote his reply, feeling his cheeks burn with a mixture of joy and embarrassment.

Kaiba watched with rising amazement as Atem wrote with neat strokes and shoved the tablet up into his face.

 _"Whatever. I'm more concerned about Mokuba's reaction."_

"You can write!" Kaiba said excitedly, ignoring Atem's message completely as he was consumed with a fiery spark of hope. "Then why can't you speak?!"

Atem shrugged furiously and rested his hands in his lap, feeling his boner poking up through the thin sheets underneath him. What he really wanted to know was what Kaiba had meant by 'no sex', because his own definition of sex was penetration, and no penetration was needed if Kaiba would willingly lick his penis.

"I see," Kaiba said seriously, talking to himself and clearly lost in his own train of thought as he stared at the neat lines of Atem's handwriting. "Assuming you shared a mind with Yugi, the language part of your brains must have been shared too."

Atem froze, realizing that that suddenly made a lot of sense. That must be why he couldn't speak any more than a few simple words! Kaiba was a genius!

And Kaiba wasn't finished rambling. "Now you are speaking without the assistance of Yugi's mind, so this might mean you have to re-learn Japanese. But you somehow can write very fluently, which is amazing, because that means you must know enough to—"

The tablet was shoved in his face again and Kaiba read the words quickly, deeply appreciating Atem's neat handwriting.

 _"I can understand you perfectly when you speak as well. I just need some time to adjust. Get me out of this horrible room and give me my clothes back."_

"You want to wear…that?" Kaiba asked, unable to keep the horror from leaking into his voice as he threw a glance at the stack of gold jewelry gleaming on the metal chair.

Atem nodded and shook his head in frustration, hastily erasing the words on the tablet and writing furiously again.

Kaiba bent down to read.

 _"Goddamit Kaiba! Just any clothing is fine! I don't want to sit here, and be poked and prodded at day and night."_

Smiling tightly, Kaiba nodded and placed a reassuring hand on Atem's shoulder, hearing the door to the room open, and they both jerked their heads up to see who had walked in.

To their relief, it was the doctor and not Mokuba.

"Mr. Kaiba," the doctor said politely, stopping at the foot of the bed and bowing stiffly. He held the clipboard up to his face and lifted his glasses off his face, reading mechanically off the chart.

"Everything looks good. His vitals are all…"

Atem zoned in and out as the doctor spoke, focusing on Kaiba's warm hand on his shoulder.

It hadn't quite dawned on him that he had been transported back into the present, so the realization hit him particularly hard in this moment.

The doctor was detailing information about this body.  
His body.  
He was alive, in his own body.  
He wasn't tethered to Yugi anymore!  
And it was all thanks to Kaiba and his impressive engineering!

"…and he really shouldn't be walking long distances," the doctor finished, passing Kaiba the clipboard, and Atem watched Kaiba's clear blue eyes dart quickly from left to right, reading quickly.

 _So…handsome,_ Atem reeled privately, studying every curve of Kaiba's jawline, watching him hand the clipboard back and step aside, letting a nurse approach the bedside with a tray of food.

"We'll monitor everything and send the logs from his food consumption and hourly rest straight to you. Don't worry, Mr. Kaiba." the doctor said, and Atem began to panic slightly, feeling oddly trapped.

Kaiba was keeping him here like a lab rat!

"How soon can we move him?" Kaiba asked, trying not to sound aggressive. He knew Atem hated being kept in this room, and the sooner they moved him somewhere more comfortable, the happier he would be.

Nudging the tray of food aside, Atem snatched up the tablet once again and hastily began writing an angry sentence, propping it up when he was finished for the doctor to see.

The doctor's ears reddened slightly with embarrassment and pointed over Kaiba's shoulder.

Kaiba turned around to read the words written in bold red ink across the tablet in Atem's hands.

 _"YOU WANT TO MONITOR MY WASTE TOO?! HOW DARE YOU! DO I LOOK LIKE A LAB RAT TO YOU?! MY CLOTHES, NOW!"_

The room fell silent, and the nurse at Atem's bedside turned away, covering her mouth to stifle a giggle.

Kaiba grit his teeth and willed himself to keep his patience.

"Well, you know what, _your majesty?_ " Kaiba said spitefully, enjoying the way Atem's eyes widened at the corners, "You almost died coming out of the barrier, so this is for your own damn good."

Atem glared viciously at him and hastily wrote something on the tablet before holding it up for the room to see again.

 _"OUT IN ONE WEEK. AND I WANT A HAMBURGER."_

"Ah…that-that might not be ideal." the doctor stammered, his eyes darting between Kaiba and the odd spiky-haired foreigner in the hospital bed. "Clean eating, please. And we could possibly release you within one week, under special circumstances."

Kaiba watched with growing amusement as Atem ducked his head down to write furiously on the tablet before angling it towards the doctor, still looking furious.

 _"COULD POSSIBLY? How about a 'yes for sure' doctor?"_

"And you probably won't even like the taste of hamburgers anymore," Kaiba said nastily, hoping to deter Atem from continuing to argue with the doctor. "You were eating through Yugi, as strange as that sounds."

Atem blinked and lowered the tablet a fraction as a bubble of doubt and wonder curled inside his chest. Indeed! That was true! Dammit it all to hell, Kaiba had to ruin all of his hopes.

"V-Very well then!" the doctor said genially, clapping his hands together in an attempt to relieve the tense atmosphere in the room. "Bed rest, and we will see what we can do for you in a week, Mr. …?"

"Atem," Atem said loudly, hearing his own voice resonate in the room, and he felt the nurse beside him fidget nervously.

"Ah, he can understand after all," the doctor said mildly, looking thoroughly unfazed. "Come, Mr. Kaiba. I have something else to discuss with you regarding Mokuba's recent growth spurt. He might have to start taking calcium supplements for…"

Kaiba nodded, half-listening, giving Atem a nervous glance over his shoulder.

Atem waved carelessly at Kaiba, dismissing him and aiming his attention back down at the tablet. Did this thing make phone calls? And if so…who would he call? Yugi?

 _But why?_ A small voice in the back of his mind grew louder with each beat of his heart.

Yugi was his own person, just like how he was in his own body now. Why would he tell Yugi he had returned to his realm? Yugi was probably grateful to be free of the burdensome spirit which had followed him around everywhere during every waking and sleeping moment of his life.

"Atem-san," the nurse said gently, and Atem startled with surprise. He had forgotten she was still in the room. He watched her pull a cart towards his bedside and set the tray of food onto its surface. "Please eat."

"It's just Atem," Atem said nervously, watching her blink politely back at him, and he sighed before carefully writing a few words onto the tablet and holding it up for her to read.

 _"No honorary please. Just 'Atem' is fine."_

"Very well," the nurse said, bowing deeply and straightening up again to point at a round black dome curving down out of the ceiling. "This camera is well-meaning and is in no way malicious. The doctor has instructed that you eat until you are full. No hiding food. We can see you."

"Fine." Atem said stiffly, watching her bow again before leaving him alone in the room.  
So odd. Everyone was always bowing.  
Back in his palace, people were bowing, and here, people were also bowing.  
It was a strange parallel.  
No one had ever bowed to Yugi as often, and no one had bowed to him as frequently when he had shared a body with Yugi.

The silence was ringing and suffocating.

 _Why am I here?!_ Atem thought angrily, stabbing his index finger into the tablet and watching a few apps appear on the screen. At least this all looked familiar, and that was a good sign.

He would get well soon, eventually.  
He would be able to walk, talk, and get around Domino City on his own.  
He would be in the company of Kaiba, and Kaiba garnered attention, cameras, and fans wherever he went.  
Yugi would see him eventually, right?

Would he be angry? Angry that he didn't tell him he had returned? Angry that Kaiba had pulled him out of his supposed "peace"?

Angry because his return meant that the attention would be shifted away from his accomplishments? Would there be a debate about who was the true "king of games"? Did that even matter anymore?!

Atem grit his teeth and felt his eyes water heavily. Tears of anger? Frustration? He didn't know.

The tablet made a soft ping and he glanced down at it, seeing a tiny message box pop up at the bottom.

 **Device3:** if the tablet locks, the password is 0909234.

"Thanks, robot," Atem said sourly, tapping on the message and writing back an angry obscenity.

He watched his own message pop up and was mildly pleased to see that this tablet had a name.

 **Gemini_tablet:** you're fucking ugly and you have no feelings.

Satisfied, Atem tapped on the web browsing app and contemplated searching Yugi's name. Did he even want to know how well Yugi was doing without him?

Sitting at his desk, Kaiba heard his phone vibrate softly across his desk and he turned his attention towards it, feeling pleased. He hadn't expected an answer.

He picked up his phone and read the message, his spirits falling. An insult. What the fuck had he done to deserve be called 'fucking ugly'?

He sent a message back and set his phone down, going back to his work, thinking Atem was only acting like this because his physical age was 16.  
Did that mean his mental age was also 16?  
That was strange and unsettling to think about.  
But he had no reason to believe that the doctor's estimates and lab tests were wrong.

"Oh, fuck," Kaiba pressed his face into his hands, feeling a headache coming on. Atem…was…younger than him! He was as old as Mokuba! And on top of that, he had kissed Atem in front of Mokuba! That was messed up to the highest degree!

Atem heard the tablet make a ping again and he tapped away from the internet, seeing another notification from 'Device 3'.

 **Device 3:** relax. You'll be out of there soon. Don't take your anger out on me or you'll get what's coming to you.

Instantly guilty, Atem realized Device 3 was Kaiba, and he hastened to apologize.

 **Gemini_tablet:** sorry! Thought you were automated message.

And to his relief, a reply from Kaiba appeared almost instantly.

 **Device 3:** I'll rename this phone. In the meantime, try learning how to speak Japanese while your brain is malleable.

"My brain has always been malleable," Atem said indignantly, realizing that he probably didn't think in Japanese. How strange. Perhaps writing all those journal entries kept his memory of the Japanese language alive, but he never spoke it, so he had lost most of his pronunciation skills.

 **Gemini_tablet:** I kept a journal, wrote in Japanese. Probably why I can write but cannot speak. Had no one to talk with. My brain is fine.

Kaiba read the message and briefly wondered what Atem had written about. It was probably some teenage angsty shit about how life sucked.

 **Device 3:** Your brain…is 16 years old if the doctor's estimates are correct. YOU are 16! So we're not even on the same level anymore. You are a child experiencing mood swings. Go to sleep. It's your bedtime.

Shocked, Atem held the tablet away from his face with disdain. Sixteen?! This body was sixteen?!

He bent down and typed his response carefully, now struggling to write sentences that were more complicated.

 **Gemini_tablet:** Okay, Kaiba. Just because this BODY is 16 does not mean I am 16 on the inside. My brain has always been malleable, that should not be a concern.

And Kaiba's reply was swift and vicious.

 **Device 3:** Nope. Brain scan says you are 16. You are 16. Can't fake maturity in your own damn brain. Doctor's physical examination is to be trusted too.

 **Device 3:** You are the same age as Mokuba. Hell, you might even be younger than him. When is your birthday?

Atem shut his eyes and pressed his forehead down on the tablet, a crushing weight sitting low in his chest. I-Impossible. This was…the worst!  
He didn't want to be younger than everyone! He had grown and experienced all the same hardships as Yugi and his friends. It was supremely unfair!

Opening his eyes, Atem grit his teeth and ignored the low rumble of hunger in his stomach as he messily wrote Kaiba a response.

 **Gemini_tablet:** SEND ME BACK! OR AGE ME UP SOMEHOW! This is horrifically embarrassing! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! YOU SICK BASTARD

Kaiba's reply was frantic and rushed as well.

 **Device 3:** YOU THINK I WANT YOU TO BE 16?! YOU ARE THE AGE YOU ARE AND I CANT FUCKING CHANGE THAT and AND people are trying to invent shit that will make them YOUNGER. NOT OLDER

The door to the room opened and Atem glanced up, his embarrassment rising as he caught the worried glance from the nurse.

"Would you like the food to be reheated?" she asked politely, and Atem shook his head stiffly.

"I'll eat." he said hastily, shoving the tablet aside and reaching for the bowl of rice wrapped in plastic. "Thank you."

The nurse gave him a funny look and bowed out of the room.

Atem unwrapped the bowl and ate slowly, trying to sort out his feelings. If he was 16, how much time had passed? How old was Yugi and everyone now?

After a few moments, the tablet pinged again and he glanced down at the message from Kaiba.

 **Device 3:** SO YOU CAN SPEAK! GOOD! VERY GOOD!

Setting the bowl aside, Atem texted back quickly, glancing at the time and realizing it was almost midnight.

 **Gemini_tablet:** I'm not mute, of course I can speak.

 **Device 3:** no, the nurse reported you said, "I will eat, thank you." Good on you. Keep talking and then maybe we can have a real conversation.

Bristling at this, Atem decided to ignore Kaiba for the moment while he finished his meal. If he kept eating at odd times of the night, he would never get better.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

OMG Atem is 16 kek. Am I evil or what.

Next chapter coming soon! Please let me know your thoughts!

Thank you ylje for your edits! You are a heavensent angel

(kisses)

\- Ugli


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed quickly, and Atem's days were filled with various tests from the doctors and nurses.

He saw a physical trainer three times a week, along with a translator and a tutor.

Atem found it strange that even the translator didn't quite speak his version of the language, but he was thankful for the help nonetheless.

Soon after he had regained his strength, he had been moved out of the empty room and into a spare bedroom at the Kaiba mansion. It had been furnished to his liking, but the clothes he had arrived in had mysteriously disappeared along with his jewelry.

It was clear that Kaiba was still concerned about his physical health, because he had not seen even a slice of red meat since his arrival at the mansion, and when he wasn't sore from the physical training, he was mentally tired from filling his brain with the world's current events and the Japanese language.

Some of it he had seen before, mostly over Yugi's shoulder when he was at school, but now that he was being put through his paces at the mercy of Kaiba's hand-picked tutors, it was a different story entirely.

Exhausting.

That would be his entire experience thus far in one word.

Kaiba had also been treating him differently, and it was infuriating. Distant and cold.

Kaiba would brush past him quickly if they passed on the staircase, and other times, he would lock himself in his room, clearly burying himself in his work.

It didn't make Atem feel unwelcome in the house, but the behavior was frustrating to witness. Strangely enough, Mokuba was nowhere to be seen in the house either, and the faces he saw most often were Isono, and the maid who oversaw the fifth floor.

To make matters even worse, there were several nights where he would wake up after having a particularly vivid dream about Kaiba, and realize he had cum in his pants.

Pent up and horny, his energy had nowhere to go.

Atem threw himself into the exercises with the trainer, running laps around the property religiously and following the diet that had been given to him. He vowed to himself that he would keep this body clean and fit if it was going to be his own. It was only right.

He had tried to catch Kaiba several times in the gym downstairs on the second floor, but every time he entered the room, Kaiba would exit immediately. It was intentional. Atem would see Kaiba drop whatever he was doing and silently leave the room.

Sighing heavily, Atem threw himself face down onto the bed in his room, rolling over and gazing up at the high ceiling, staring at the strips of yellow sunlight coming in from the sparkling window.

What had changed between them? Nothing!  
Or did he need to keep scheming to snatch some alone time with Kaiba?  
But they had barely spoken a word to each other in weeks.

 _What am I doing here?_ Atem thought angrily, giving his pillow an angry shove, and he pressed his cheek down on the mattress, deciding to take a nap.

* * *

Kaiba leaned away from the window and sat down at his desk, feeling horribly pent up and frustrated.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out.  
Every time Atem passed him in the house, he would feel goosebumps rise along his arms and he did his best to ignore it, reminding himself that the pharaoh was sixteen years old.

And he was aware that Atem was trying to corner him at certain times of the day. His schedule had been figured out, and Atem would sometimes be waiting for him in the gym downstairs, leaning against the mirror with his arms crossed and a mischievous glint in his angular violet eyes.

Those days, Kaiba recalled walking away and skipping his workout for the day, just to avoid being alone in the room with Atem.

On the other hand, he knew he would slip, and probably end up fucking Atem before the year was over anyway, which was why he had sent Mokuba off to boarding school in another country with the excuse of "broadening his horizons", well, as broad as they could be, in the sheltered environment of a boarding school.

It had been four months, and Kaiba had been keeping careful track, because he had set a personal limit for himself. He vowed he would not touch Atem until he was at least seventeen or eighteen, but if he was feeling this way after four months, Kaiba wasn't sure he'd last much longer.

Atem had recovered fast and was intentionally following him around the house. It had gotten to a point where he was accustomed to locking his own door to prevent Atem from appearing beside him in his bed at night.

Sighing, Kaiba rose from his desk and decided that the most mature thing he could do was to talk it out with the pharaoh, after all, he was the "adult" in this situation.

If he successfully secured a verbal agreement with Atem, perhaps he wouldn't feel so much like a cornered rabbit being stalked by a vicious tiger.

He walked quietly through the hallway and approached Atem's room, knocking softly on the door. There was no answer, so he pushed the door open gently, mildly surprised to find Atem face down on the mattress, asleep.

Kaiba let the door swing shut behind him and he stood motionless a few feet away, staring at the soft curves of Atem's ass. He was wearing a pair of black athletic shorts with a matching black tank top, and Kaiba blinked, trying not to let it affect him.

He would calmly, maturely, wake Atem, and they would have a calm…and mature…talk.

Kaiba bit his tongue and eased himself down onto the edge of the bed, reaching a shaking hand out to gently caress Atem's calf, giving it a warm squeeze and feeling himself grow aroused.

He ran his thumb in little circles across Atem's skin, suppressing a happy shudder as he leaned down to press his lips tightly across the back of Atem's neck, inhaling deeply, drinking in his wonderful, unique scent.

Oh fuck…oh fuck. He couldn't stop.

His hand somehow found its way up Atem's shirt, and he relished in the softness of his skin, pushing the shirt up all the way to stare at the smooth, tanned skin on his back. Beautiful.

Kaiba couldn't control himself. He bent down and pressed his lips down on each delicate curve and bump of Atem's spine, baring his teeth and scraping them playfully against his skin, his breathing shallow with excitement.  
Was he a despicable human being for touching Atem in his sleep? Yes.  
Maybe he would do this…and then leave without waking him.

Forcing himself to lean away, he gave Atem's ass one last longing squeeze before he stood up and left the room quickly before he did anything else he regretted.

Atem heard the door close and he grit his teeth so hard, he saw green.

Maybe he should've reacted, and then Kaiba wouldn't have left.

He had been woken up by the wonderful sensation of a hot breath running down his back and had kept very still, enjoying the way Kaiba kneaded his calf while lips pressed against the back of his neck. Elated, he kept still, hoping Kaiba would continue, but the sensation vanished just as quickly as it came, leaving him cold and frustrated.

Flipping over onto his back, Atem shoved his hand down his pants and began masturbating furiously, throwing his head back onto the soft pillows and cursing Kaiba in his mind before losing himself in the pleasure of his own hand.

He stroked himself steadily, letting the dull waves of pleasure wash over him. Even masturbating was becoming unexciting because he had done it so often while thinking about Kaiba in the room beside him.

He knew that chasing after Kaiba in the hallway would be fruitless, because Kaiba always kept his door locked. Whatever game he was playing, it was infuriating, and Atem felt like he was losing.

Kaiba leaned against the door, willing his body to calm down. He burned all over and felt like exploding from the inside out. This was definitely unhealthy. He needed to talk it out with Atem before he lost his fucking mind, but he couldn't keep himself in check.

Walking stiffly back into his room, his shut the door quietly, his mind racing for a solution.

Maybe the urge would subside if they were in public.

He would take a breath, and then go back into the room to talk with Atem, and this time when he went back in, he would keep his hands in his pockets to prevent himself from touching the pharaoh.

Kaiba willed himself calm down and he exited his room, striding down the hall again and giving the door several firm knocks. There was no answer, and he leaned the door open softly, surprised to find that the bed was empty.

The sound of water running was coming from behind the closed bathroom door and a small pile of clothes lay in a heap on the floor.

Kaiba moved towards it and bent down to pick up the black tank top Atem had been wearing, pressing it to his nose and inhaling deeply. Atem's scent…this was enough for now.

The water shut off and Kaiba dropped the shirt hastily, making a mental note to steal an article of Atem's clothing before Isono did his daily laundry rounds.

Atem pulled on a shirt and draped the towel over his shoulders after stepping into a fresh pair of pants. The material felt odd against his skin. He was so accustomed to the tightness of Yugi's leather pants, the relaxed fit made him uncomfortable.

He stepped out of the bathroom and received a slight shock, seeing Kaiba sitting at the edge of his bed with his arms and legs crossed, looking grave.

"Hello Kaiba," Atem said cautiously, trying to calm his rapidly pounding heart, daring himself to feel hopeful. This was the closest he had been to Kaiba in months. Arm's length…in the same room…was it too much to hope that maybe they could kiss again?

"What do you want to eat?" Kaiba asked aggressively, feeling his entire body tense as he stared at the single drop of water sitting on Atem's collarbone, and he felt a surge of desire. He wanted to tongue the water off and taste Atem's skin. He wanted to resist…the urge. Resist…resist…

"I'm not hungry," Atem said, frowning slightly, carefully studying Kaiba's stony expression. Was he angry? It was hard to tell because he was so expressionless sometimes.

"Well, I want to go out," Kaiba said stiffly. "Where do you want to go?"

Taken aback slightly, Atem nodded and ran a series of restaurants through his mind from memory.

"Happy Burger?" he said tentatively, wondering if it was still called that.

Kaiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and this once again reminded him that Atem was 16.

Fuck.

"Fine." he said plainly, rising to his feet and feeling Atem stick closely to his side as they walked to the door.

Gritting his teeth, he willed himself not to react when Atem bumped lightly into his side as they made their way through the house. He watched Atem race into the garage and place his hand on the handle of his white Mercedes.

Unable to contain his excitement, Atem wondered briefly if Kaiba would teach him how to drive.

Kaiba eased himself into the seat and snuck a glance over at Atem, catching a glint in his angular eyes and he felt himself sweat. Maybe…going out in public wasn't a good idea.

"What's the occasion?" Atem asked innocently, watching Kaiba hesitate visibly before starting the car with a vicious vroom. "This will the first time I've been out."

Speeding out of the garage and driving down the wide road that led out of his property, Kaiba gripped the wheel tightly, feeling nervous. He had not thought this through. This was Atem's first time going out since he had been back…and what if they ran into Yugi?

How the fuck would he explain himself?

He threw another uncertain glance over at Atem, noticing that this thought had not crossed his mind yet because he was happily staring out the window.

Atem crossed his arms and smiled down at his knees, enjoying the way the sun warmed his skin. This was fine too. A day out with Kaiba…! This would be exhilarating! As long as they weren't seen by Yugi and his friends, things ought to be fine, right?

Yugi and his friends!  
Yugi.

Atem gripped the edges of the seat tightly, regretting this outing immediately.  
Oh, he had not thought this through. He had been so excited, he didn't think twice before jumping into the car.

Kaiba pulled to a gentle stop at a red light, noticing that the silence between them was getting thicker.

He snuck a third glance over at Atem and realized he looked slightly pale.

"What's wrong?" Kaiba asked lightly, thinking it wasn't too soon to turn the car around and head back to the mansion if Atem requested it.

It took a few minutes before Atem could find his voice, and when he did, he thought his own voice sounded strange. "I've been meaning to ask, Kaiba," he began nervously. "If we were to see Yugi, what would we tell him?"

"Nothing." Kaiba replied viciously, flooring the engine as he sped forwards down the street, only to pull to a jerking halt at the next red light. "We don't say anything because we won't see him."

Atem nodded shallowly, not really believing this sentiment. Domino City was only so large, he was sure they would cross paths eventually.

He understood why Kaiba didn't want him to be seen. Their time together was already limited. If they included Yugi and his friends, he would have no time out of his day to do odd outings such as these.

Even though this was the first time they were out together…hopefully the first of many times, Atem said firmly to himself.

Kaiba bit back an angry growl as they crawled through traffic, hating everything around them. The longer they sat in traffic, the more likely it would be that someone would spot their car and take a photo. Even though his windows were heavily tinted, privacy was dead these days.

"Do you want to see him?" Kaiba managed to ask, inching the car forward slowly and stopping again. This was a question he had been dreading to ask, but he needed to know the answer.  
If Atem wanted to see Yugi again, who was he to stop him?  
It wasn't his place to say anything…just like how it wasn't his place to pull Atem from the afterlife in the first place, but here they were.

"I don't know," Atem said frantically, sounding strained. "I want to…but I'm not sure I should! I don't want to interrupt his life…"

"He's doing well," Kaiba answered stiffly, pulling smoothly into the parking lot of Happy Burger and leaning back in his seat, sighing. He kept the engine running, unwilling to shut it off as he watched Atem fidget in the seat beside him.

Atem glanced out the window and stared at the door of the restaurant, his anxiety rising. He didn't feel like going in there anymore.  
What if the attendant recognized him and called him "Yugi"?  
What if Yugi was in there? What if anyone of his friends were in there?

Also, why was he coming here especially when he had promised himself that he didn't want to intrude upon Yugi's life? And what if Kaiba was right? He didn't like the taste of hamburger anymore because he had been eating through Yugi?

"Yeah, not such a good idea anymore, right?" Kaiba said flatly, echoing his inner thoughts. "Wait here."

Atem's breath caught in his throat as he watched Kaiba climb out of the car and slam the door shut, leaving him in the ringing silence, alone.

Taking deep breaths, Atem sank into the seat and reminded himself that he was being silly. Yugi wasn't going to be here. What where the chances? In all of Domino City, at this time of day, at this burger restaurant….

He saw a car pull up in the empty space beside him and froze as he could hear laughter muffled through the closed car door.

Atem instantly recognized the short brown hair of the girl driver and an icicle shot through his chest, making him grow cold all over.

Anzu.

The car doors opened and more familiar faces emerged. Honda. Jounouchi?! And…Yugi.

Now thoroughly terrified, Atem glanced frantically around the car, wondering if there was somewhere he could hide. Nowhere. The car was tiny, and there was no backseat. He couldn't even huddle down…!

Biting his lip, Atem sat very still and aimed his gaze forward, choosing to pretend as if he couldn't see outside the car. Maybe he could play dead.  
How would he do that?! Kaiba…hurry back!

"Wow…hey guys, look at this! Isn't this one of rich boy's cars? The license plate says BEWD."

Joey's voice.

"The human robot eats burgers? Ha! Let's smash his windows."

Honda's voice.

"Don't! Just ignore him. Or we won't go in until he comes out."

Anzu's voice.

"Wait…what is that?!"

Yugi's voice, and he sounded frightened.

"What's what?" Joey asked, sounding uninterested.

"That! This!" Yugi's voice was now dangerously close to the glass and Atem felt himself sweat, his heart pounding thickly in his throat as he kept staring out through the windshield, pretending to be a mannequin.

"I-Is that…you?!" Anzu's shrill voice pierced through the glass windows of the car and Atem resigned himself to the fact that he had been seen.

"No…it's a hologram…or doll…of me…or something!" Yugi said slowly, his voice moving up and down strangely, and Atem figured he was probably angling himself to get a better look through the tinted windows.

Thank god Kaiba had blackened these windows out, but clearly not enough….

"It's not me." Yugi said firmly with finality, and Atem clenched his jaw tightly, wondering what hell he was living in. What if he just waved at Yugi, now…?

"Right, it's a creepy Pharaoh boy, holy shit." Honda's voice was on the other side of the car, and Atem forced himself not to react.

"He's wearing real clothes and everything!" Joey cried, sounding thoroughly disturbed. "It looks like real skin! Is this one of Kaiba's new toys? What's he going into, the doll industry?!"

"Why does it look like Atem?!" Yugi's voice was the easiest to hear and it made his eyes water with emotion. "That sick bastard! I told him…I told him…"

Yugi's voice faded and Atem strained to hear, but it sounded as if he had stopped talking. Told him what?!

"Dude, if he blinked right now, I would be so freaked out," Honda's voice was hovering near the steering wheel on the other side of the car and Atem held his breath, thinking his eyes were watering not because he had heard Yugi's voice, but because he had not blinked since everyone had started peering at him through the windows.

Kaiba snatched the bag of food off the counter and strode through the restaurant, ignoring the stares as he elbowed the door open furiously and froze with shock.

The Yugi gang was hovering around his windows with their hands cupped around their faces, trying to peer into his car, clearly having spotted Atem sitting inside.

Feeling himself shake with anger and nervousness, Kaiba pressed the keys to his car. The car let out two loud blips and they all jumped back, startled.

Atem also got a fright, but thankfully, no one saw him move.

"Kaiba…you sick piece of shit!" Yugi shouted, not caring that he was causing a scene right outside his favorite restaurant. "What the fuck is that?!"

He pointed a shaking finger at the darkened window beside him, where he could barely see a faint outline of spiky hair through the glass, and he glared at Kaiba.

Atem curled his fingers into his palms, thinking he had never heard Yugi talk like this…ever.

"Get away from my car." Kaiba said, frantically racking his brain for the harshest insult he could come up with to deter any further questions. "If I see any of your filthy handprints on my windows, I'm charging you for it."

"Filthy…?!" Jounouchi raised his fists and Honda stepped in front of him, hissing. "You're sick in the head, Kaiba. This is what you do all day when Mokuba's off at boarding school? Make life-sized dolls of Yugi, and then...you, what? Take them out on…dates?!"

"It's not me!" Yugi insisted shrilly, unable to tear his eyes away from the mannequin inside the car. "It's Atem! Kaiba, why can't you let things _go?!_ "

"If it's Atem, why is he at your favorite restaurant, Yugi?" Honda said angrily, taking a threatening step forward. "Does _it_ eat too? Did you do some fucked up shit to make it eat?"

Atem felt as if he was suffocating. The air in the car was getting heavy and thick, and the way his friends were throwing insults at Kaiba was not helping.

"Get out of my way," Kaiba said stiffly, walking carefully to the driver's side and watching Yugi circle the car and block his way.  
Well…fuck.

"Does it move and talk?" Yugi asked quietly, feeling goosebumps rising along his arms at the way Kaiba's face remained impassive. "Are you okay, Kaiba-kun? Do we need to talk?"

"I said…get out of my way." Kaiba growled, pushing Yugi aside and resting his hand on the door handle. "Leave."

Yugi held his ground and planted his feet apart, crossing his arms over his chest. "No. I want to see it. You always show us your new stuff. Come on Kaiba, don't be a bad sport."

 _A bad sport?_ Atem thought incredulously. Yugi was cleverly trying to get Kaiba to open the door.

Kaiba blinked, thinking he would not escape this situation unscathed until Yugi was satisfied. This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid. Would Atem be fine with this?! One way to find out.

"Right," Kaiba said loftily, forcing the most formal smile on his face. "It can talk. It can walk. It can speak. It even sounds like him. He even responds to the name Atem. This is an upgrade from the AI I made in—"

"You…SICK FUCK!" Honda shouted, throwing himself forward at Kaiba, only to be held back by Jounouchi and Anzu, gripping him tightly by the shoulders while he thrashed and kicked.

"A-Amazing…Kaiba-kun…" Yugi said, his voice wobbling uncharacteristically as he watched Kaiba narrow his eyes at Honda. "Please show us…"

 _No…no…what?!_ Atem panicked, willing himself to remain calm. Kaiba was advertising him as a doll?! An AI? But this was fine, because this meant he had a chance to talk to Yugi…!

"Fine. If you want, I'll turn him on," Kaiba said, kicking himself mentally at how wrong that sounded. He was losing his shit.

"I'm not down for this." Honda growled, disgusted. He wrenched himself out of Jonounchi's grasp and adjusted his shirt collar, storming off towards the restaurant entrance in a huff.

"Right, not here." Kaiba said delicately, glancing at Yugi and watching him run a hand through his spiky hair in distress. "We'll meet another time."

"No, I want to see him…it now!" Yugi said anxiously, looking at the car again with a strange expression, and Kaiba realized with a jolt that Yugi was actually deeply interested.

"Then we'll drive out somewhere." Kaiba replied, thinking that this was a perfect opportunity to let Atem collect his thoughts. "See you on the docks."

He hastily pried the car door open and tucked himself into the seat, starting the engine with a roar and peeling out of the parking lot, leaving Yugi standing behind them looking shocked in the rear-view mirror.

Atem let out a soft sigh of relief and stared at Yugi's reflection until they turned the corner, trying not to feel guilty.

"Why would he believe that?" Atem asked nervously, hearing his voice echo in the tiny cabin of the car. "You told him I'm not real!"

Kaiba gripped the wheel tightly and pulled the car smoothly onto the highway, listening to Atem fidget beside him.

"Relax," Kaiba said tightly, trying to calm himself down too. "Don't say anything strange, and we'll be fine."

"What is 'strange'?!" Atem said nervously, his heart pounding too fast in his chest as the car pulled past a familiar road and many warehouses came into view. Wait…he recognized this place…

The buildings whizzed by as Kaiba powered down the narrow road and came to a jerking halt by the waterfront, hearing Atem let out a gasp and push the door open before climbing out excitedly.

"This place!" Atem said happily, running towards the water's edge and peering down over the railing, watching the waves splash merrily against the concrete pillars underneath them. "I know this place!"

"Yeah, your annoying friend almost died here." Kaiba said plainly, thinking that had been eons ago, but the fact that Atem remembered, meant that he had been present for that entire ordeal too. Atem was a real person, and it was moments like this that constantly reminded him of that fact.

"You were here to witness that too…" Atem said, swaying slightly on the spot as he gazed out over the water, feeling his heart swell. "How many years has it been?"

"Too many," Kaiba answered hollowly, watching the sun sparkle off the surface of the water. "Welcome back."

Atem turned to give Kaiba a warm smile, and Kaiba bit his tongue painfully, feeling his chest grow tight with emotion.

He watched Atem walk towards the wooden pier and sit down at the water's edge, looking as if he wanted to stick his feet in the water.

Kaiba followed him out onto the pier and stood beside him, letting the wind ruffle peacefully through his hair. It really had been a while, and being here brought the memories back in a rush.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm not real," Atem commented, bending forward to trail his fingers in the cold ocean water, letting it seep into his skin. "Why don't we touch anymore, Kaiba? Are you avoiding me in your own house?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kaiba said coldly, feeling his mouth grow dry. He knew exactly what the pharaoh was talking about. He had frequently considered kissing…or even just touching Atem's hand…he had been holding himself back enormously.

"You know exactly what I am talking about," Atem growled, shooting Kaiba a resentful glare. "We're having a nice time now. Let's kiss."

Kaiba felt his world tilt, and he held his ground, clenching his fists tightly. "You're not thinking clearly," he said through gritted teeth. "Yugi will be here in a minute."

"It's been two minutes and he's not here," Atem retaliated smoothly, rising to his feet and reaching out to grab Kaiba by the wrist. "No one will see us."

Kaiba swallowed tensely and felt his arm burn at Atem's touch and he jerked away, hating himself as he shook his head mutely, watching Atem grow angrier by the second.

"I don't know what your problem is, Kaiba," Atem fumed, advancing on Kaiba and watching him take a step back. "I'm fully recovered and you're treating me like a germ. There's no one in the house, other than Isono and your servants, and you exit a room every time I come in. Do you want to know the main reason I came back?"

"Not really…" Kaiba struggled to speak, feeling the air being crushed out of his lungs the longer Atem glared at him. It was setting his skin on fire and he yearned to kiss Atem, to pull his slender body up against his and never let go.

"I came back…for you!" Atem said boldly, his stomach curling with a mixture of anger and hurt. "A year and five months I've waited patiently—"

Atem fell silent the second he saw Anzu's car pull up, and he straightened up nervously, watching Kaiba tense anxiously too.

This was going to be…difficult.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

:D let me know your thoughts! leave me a nice comment! (pwease)

Recently, something amazing happened! A reader sent me an inspiring message, and I think I might have some fuel to continue Eight-Sided Shape!  
Or maybe its cuz its almost Virgo season! woot :D shout-out to all my virgos out there, i love you!  
You need to keep me grounded hahaha

Eternal thanks to YLJE who edited this while on vacation (like omg you're amazing!)

if it was me on vacay, you bet, i'd be...still...posting...updates every week.  
yep bwhahaa.

HUGS,  
Ugli


	3. Chapter 3

Yugi sat motionless in the passenger seat, glued to the spot, unable to breathe, and unable to believe his eyes.

Atem! Atem was standing on the pier, right beside Kaiba, with his arms folded across his chest, wearing a set of black pants and a plain white t-shirt. He was standing, on his own.  
Yugi swore he had even seen the AI move.

Was this the outfit Kaiba had picked for Atem? This was totally wrong! Where were his pharaoh's garbs? Where was his golden collar, crown and dark violet cloak with his matching golden armbands?

Suddenly furious, Yugi unbuckled himself and shoved the car door open, ignoring Anzu's worried cries behind him as he stalked towards Kaiba and the figure of Atem, trying to calm his pounding heart.

He really looked real! And the closer he got, the more terrifying it became. Every strand of hair became sharper in his vision, and he looked regal as ever, even though he had been dressed down.

Breathless with a mixture of excitement and anger, Yugi stood before Kaiba and willed himself to keep his composure.

"H-How dare you!" Yugi sputtered at the CEO, feeling his ears grow hot as he heard the AI of Atem shift behind him. "Why is he dressed like this?! If you're going to make a doll of him, at least dress it up properly."

"He has feelings," Kaiba responded swiftly, reading Atem's expressions accurately. Yugi had ignored Atem and went straight for his throat about a fucking outfit. Was that seriously all Yugi was concerned with?

Atem stared at the back of Yugi's head, unable to find his voice.

Yugi…had changed quite a bit! He had gotten taller, and his personality had a spark that previously hadn't been there.

"He has what…?" Yugi's voice caught in the back of his throat as he slowly turned around to face the AI of Atem, taking a step back as he realized they were the same height.  
Odd. Atem was always taller.

Their eyes met.  
Atem's angular violet eyes blinked once, and Yugi tried not to panic.

Too real…he looked too real! He could see every dark eyelash, and his tanned skin seemed to glow under the sun, even the whites of his eyes looked moist.

"He's the wrong height," Yugi said automatically, unable to stop himself. "He looks very real. Congratulations, Kaiba, you did well."

"Don't talk to me, talk to him," Kaiba growled, hearing footsteps pattering to his side, and realized the friendship girl had finally caught up to them. He ignored her and continued to observe Atem, watching him blink rapidly, as if he was trying to hold back tears.

Fuck. How did you explain crying in a robot AI? The concept was sketchy enough already, and Yugi wasn't stupid.

"H-Hi…" Yugi said tentatively, trying not to let the gentle expression on the AI affect him, "Nice to meet you, I'm Yugi."

Atem was bursting with emotion and he couldn't find his voice for a moment. He glanced between Kaiba's stoic face, Anzu's shocked stare and Yugi's hopeful eyes before finally managing to reply.

"Hi Yugi. How have you been?"

Yugi's eyes welled up with emotion and he turned away suddenly, his shoulders heaving as he realized how much he had missed Atem. All he had wanted was…to have one final conversation with Atem, and maybe this was how he could do it!

Atem swallowed tensely, wondering if he had done something wrong. Yugi was upset!

Kaiba glanced down at Yugi, understanding exactly how he was feeling.

Yugi pressed a hand to his cheek, willing himself to calm down. He had had many a sleepless night thinking about what he would say, what they would talk about, or if they would just sit in silence.

Was this how Kaiba felt? Kaiba must have felt this way, every day for the past three years!

And what's more, he could give Atem a hug. That was something he had wanted to do since the beginning of time. They had been able to touch each other inside the Millenium Puzzle due to its power, but outside of it, Atem was just air.

Yugi forced himself to turn around and smile brightly at the AI, but it was no use, he could feel his vision blurring with hot tears, and he pressed the back of his hand to his nose bridge, willing himself not to cry.

He was being ridiculous. This was just an AI of Atem. This was not really Atem. But he could pretend.

He could say whatever he wanted to this AI, and get it off his chest once and for all.

"Yugi?" Atem asked carefully, feeling slightly nervous. The long bouts of silence were concerning.

"H-Hi, I'm Anzu!" Anzu said cheerfully, aware that Yugi was still trying to pull himself together, "Nice to meet you!"

 _I know_ , Atem thought secretly, but he gave her a small smile and answered her quickly.

"Nice to meet you, Anzu. I'm Atem."

"A-Atem! Hah...haha…" she laughed strangely and Atem frowned, watching her cheeks slowly begin to redden. What was this…?! Such odd reactions he had not expected from his friends.

"I told you he goes by Atem," Kaiba said robotically, trying to suppress a bubble of laughter building in his chest. The atmosphere was heavy and awkward. Yugi was on the verge of tears and Anzu was clearly going through something in her head.

He was leaving.

He turned on his heel and walked off the pier, hearing Anzu call after him. "Um?! Kaiba, where are you going?"

"Waiting in the car. You dorks are boring me," Kaiba said coldly, waving his keys above his head and pressing the button, watching the headlights of his car light up.  
Atem would thank him later.

"You're boring," Atem shot back, forgetting himself for a moment, and he earned two simultaneous gasps from Anzu and Yugi.

"Can I touch him?" Yugi asked tentatively, wondering if Kaiba could still hear him. "He won't fall over or anything, right?" And he turned around, seeing Kaiba leaning against the side of his car with his arms folded across his chest, scrolling through his phone.

"Yes, you can," Atem said encouragingly, wondering what it would feel like to finally…physically hug Yugi. "I won't fall over."

Anzu pressed her hands to her mouth and Yugi threw himself forward without thinking, wrapping his arms around Atem's waist and pulling him into a tight embrace, feeling the AI return the hug with equal vigor, and he couldn't stop the tears from leaking out from the corners of his eyes, feeling the warm body of the AI pressed tightly against his.

It all felt so real.  
Kaiba's engineering was scary sometimes!

Atem shut his eyes and felt his knees go weak. Yugi smelled nice…he smelled like spring rain on a clear evening. He was hugging back tightly, and Atem could feel that Yugi was slightly taller than him.

"S-Stop…let go…" Yugi mumbled. The arms around his body loosened and he took a frantic step back, pressing a hand to his chest, his heart pounding so fast it became a low hum.

Atem tried to keep his expression neutral as he watched Yugi stare at him incredulously, giving Anzu a frightened look.

"He feels like a real human!" Yugi said shrilly, feeling his tears drying across his face, and he stared intently out at the horizon over the AI's shoulder, keen not to make eye contact anymore.

"Shake my hand," Anzu said gently, reaching her hand out slowly, and Atem took it warmly in his grasp and gave her hand a squeeze, feeling her jump and let out a squeak before jerking her hand away and hiding it behind her back.

"Oh my god…Yugi…" she whispered frantically, unable to tear her eyes away from Atem's face. "He feels real! There's no way…!"

"I'm real," Atem said plainly, staring into Yugi's round eyes and watching him hiccup nervously.

"Yes, you're very real," Yugi said warmly, nodding at the AI. "I've got so much to tell you! So much has happened since you've been gone."

Atem lit up at this and he took a step towards Yugi, excited, "Please! Tell me!" and was immediately dismayed when he saw Yugi take a step back.

"Y-You can stay there," Yugi said, frowning deeply. "I guess Kaiba hasn't programmed you to say longer sentences. He sounds weird."

Atem mirrored Yugi's frown, feeling slightly offended that Yugi was talking about him like he wasn't present.

"Well, AI's take some time to learn phrases in order to sound more human, right?" Anzu said lightly. "Even Kaiba's technology has its limits."

"Please don't talk about me like I'm not here," Atem bristled, folding his arms across his chest firmly. "I'm re-learning Japanese. I'm doing quite well, I think."

Yugi paled and his eyes darted around his face. "Re-learning? What do you mean, re-learning?"

"I…couldn't speak earlier," Atem said, struggling to find his words, and he wished desperately that they could change the topic. He wanted to hear what Yugi was going to tell him!

"R-Right! Of course you couldn't!" Anzu said genially, clasping her hands together and smiling at him.

Unsure if this was supposed to be offensive, Atem frowned, beginning to feel uneasy.

This was not how he had pictured his reunion with Yugi at all, and Yugi seemed to think so too.

"Anzu…I want to be alone with him for a bit," Yugi said firmly, giving Anzu a polite nod. "Please?"

Anzu returned the nod before hurrying off the pier, throwing the spiky- haired twins a worried look over her shoulder as she made her way back to the car.

Yugi gestured for the AI to follow him to the edge of the dock, and he sat down on the wooden edge, wondering if the robot knew how to sit. To his pleasant surprise, it sat smoothly down beside him and flashed him a warm smile again.

Slightly embarrassed, Yugi smiled back and felt his cheeks grow warm.

Oh this was…bad! He now knew why Kaiba had this AI in the front seat of the car with him, and was even buying him hamburgers.

"Tell me what you were saying earlier," Atem urged gently, wondering if he could reach out to touch Yugi's hand the way he often had done when they had shared a space in the puzzle. Would that be okay?

There was a long silence while Yugi gathered his thoughts and Atem waited patiently, deciding to grab Yugi's hand after all.

Yugi jumped but didn't pull away, gazing down at the tanned hand covering his own, and he bit the inside of his cheek, willing himself not to feel guilty or sad. Having this AI here, made it better…somehow.

If Atem knew that they were doing this with his likeness, he would be fine with it, right?  
The real Atem would understand how much he was being missed?

"I missed you," Yugi said after a long moment, and he risked a glance at the AI, seeing him nod in return and smile warmly.

"I missed you too!" Atem said, feeling his chest bursting with happiness. So he wasn't a burden after all, right? He had been missed. That was all he needed to hear.

"You don't actually…I mean…" Yugi cleared his throat and jerked his hand away, gazing out over the water and composing himself. "Thank you for saying that."

"You're welcome…?" Atem tilted his head, confused. Even Yugi's answers were odd. Was he being treated like this because Yugi truly believed he was an AI Kaiba had created?!

"Jonouchi didn't want to come, because he was too creeped out," Yugi said matter-of-factly, reaching down to take his shoes off and set them beside him, and Atem watched, deeply interested.

"So he went to binge-eat with Honda," Yugi continued, tossing his socks into his shoes and sinking his feet into the water beneath them, shuddering at the sudden cold. "I've been having weird dreams about you. They've stopped recently. But I think they'll stop once and for all if I can talk about it with you."

"Talk, and I will listen," Atem said genuinely, wondering if he could take off his own shoes and stick his feet into the water too.

He decided against it, and crossed his legs firmly, catching Yugi's odd stare.

"You even sit like him," Yugi said, sounding dazed. "Kaiba doesn't miss a detail…wow. Anyway…"

Atem swallowed thickly and tried to ignore the uneasy feelings. He focused his attention on Yugi as he began to speak in a rush, and Atem realized he was having trouble understanding some Japanese if Yugi talked too fast, but all he had to do was ask Yugi to slow down.

He was pleased to discover that he hadn't missed much.

Something interesting had happened with Bakura.  
Maximillion Pegasus was in retirement and had barred off all travel to Duelist Kingdom.  
Kaiba had dug up the Millennium Puzzle, which he personally found hilarious, but Yugi was quite upset about it, so Atem kept his expression as neutral as possible.

Propping his head up on his hand, Atem smiled and nodded, continuing to listen to Yugi talk animatedly.

Kaiba had also held another world-wide tournament. Mokuba was at a boarding school overseas, and everyone was in…college?! And Yugi was studying game design!

"That's very interesting," Atem mused, watching Yugi throw his head back and stretch happily. "Where is the Millennium Puzzle now? And are your classes…more fun?"

"Oh, definitely more fun," Yugi laughed, kicking his feet in the water, feeling as if a giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I'm sorry you had to suffer through how boring my classes were before…s-sorry…nevermind."

Yugi's ears reddened and Atem frowned, his confusion rising.

"But, the puzzle is now in a museum. It gets moved sometimes, and last month it was displayed at an institution in Italy!" Yugi said, grinning brightly. "Tell me what's new with you!"

And his face fell slightly again. "…I mean, whatever you wanna talk about, I'll listen too."

While he had been talking, he had forgotten for a second that he was talking to an AI. But in that brief second, he had felt like he had his best friend back!

 _Painful_ , Yugi thought glumly, lifting his feet out of the water and letting them dry in the sun. _Kaiba's effort really shows through in his creations._

"You're not listening!" Atem cried, trying not to feel offended as he watched Yugi's face grow darker and darker. "What's wrong, Aibou?"

Yugi sat up straighter and tried to draw his next breath, but found that his throat had closed up. "Kaiba taught you to call me that?!"

"What?" Atem frowned and wondered if he was going crazy. "Aibou? I've always called you that. And you would call me Yami. I haven't completely forgotten. Who do you take me for?"

"I-I…" Yugi blinked and tried to compose himself. This AI was sharp…just like Atem. He needed to treat this AI…just like Atem!

"Right…I'm sorry, Yami. Go ahead. I'm listening."

"Right, so, as I was saying," Atem said roughly, wondering if he ought to be mad at Yugi for being distracted. "It's taken me months to learn, and what's frustrating is that my reading comprehension level is quite low. I'm stuck on grade 10 grammar, and I can't for the life of me write an essay."

Yugi blinked at him for a moment before throwing his head back with a shout of laughter, gripping his sides and struggling to breathe.

Kaiba frowned sourly at the twins sitting at the edge of the dock, clearly enjoying themselves.

Now this was an unpleasant memory.

Atem and Yugi had always shared a special bond.

Yugi, as the pharaoh's vessel, probably understood Atem on several different levels, as compared to himself, who had always watched from the side lines….

"You made him real, congrats." Anzu's cold voice came from his left and Kaiba kept his arms crossed, debating if he should ignore her.

"He can walk, talk…and who knows, eat?" Anzu said, pointing at the Happy Burger bag in the passenger seat of Kaiba's car. "Why, Kaiba? Did everything Yugi say to you mean nothing?"

"He's having fun with Atem," Kaiba said monotonously, pointing at Yugi and Atem roaring with laughter at a joke. "I don't see him complaining."

"Atem…is _not real!_ " Anzu hissed, feeling a deep pang of pity for Kaiba. "Keep lying to yourself, but don't drag Yugi into your delusions too. We've all moved on. You should too."

"I've moved on," Kaiba said, his tongue swelling at the lie, "and I came back to it. It was a conscious choice."

"Right." Anzu couldn't hide her sarcasm and she rolled her eyes, standing beside Kaiba to gaze at the spiky-haired twins rising to their feet to share a hug before Yugi bent down to stick his feet into his shoes.

"He's real to me," Kaiba said, wondering why he was still talking to the friendship girl. "You don't have to see him if you don't want to. But he's real, and this time around, he's mine."

"This time around?" Anzu fumed, adjusting the purse strap that kept slipping off her shoulder. "You're sick, Kaiba. Maybe take some time off and reconsider why you're doing this."

Kaiba let out a bark of laughter and looked her in the eye for the first time since the start of their conversation.

"Why am I doing this? Why do I do anything? Isn't it obvious?!" he sneered, making sure to keep his voice down, knowing that Yugi and Atem were walking back towards them.

"Yeah, it's obvious you're obsessed with him," Anzu shot back nastily, unsure if this would even phase Kaiba. "Why else would you make a life-sized walking, blinking, talking figure of the pharaoh? For fun?"

"Now you get it," Kaiba said, feeling satisfied.

Atem felt his steps grow lighter the more Yugi smiled at him, and was surprised to see Anzu standing beside Kaiba, looking as if they had just been talking.

"Oh…hi guys," Yugi said, sounding just as surprised, and Kaiba ignored him, addressing Atem directly.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes," Atem said happily, giving Yugi another warm smile. "Maybe we can do this again sometime soon. This was nice."

Yugi fidgeted nervously and Anzu set her lips in a tight, disapproving frown.

"Actually, I think this will be the last time we'll see each other," Yugi said sadly, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him again.  
Damn it, it was like saying goodbye to Atem all over again…!

"Why?!" Atem felt himself sway on the spot as he wondered if he had done something wrong. "Are you angry with me, Yugi?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Yugi," Kaiba interjected, sitting himself in the front seat of his car, tired of everything and everyone. "Look, you're hurting his feelings."

"He has no feelings, Kaiba," Anzu growled, grabbing Yugi by the arm and leading him back to their car. "See you later, AI Atem. You're new and improved. Let's go, Yugi."

"It's just 'Atem,'" Atem fumed, his rage rising quickly. "And this AI pretense is horrible. I am real."

He watched Yugi throw him a deeply melancholic look over his shoulder before he got into the passenger seat of Anzu's car and they drove off quickly.

Shocked, Atem gathered his thoughts, trying not to let his explosive feelings consume him. He understood…on many levels, why Yugi refused to believe he was real. He knew why Anzu, Jounouchi, and Honda, all thought he was a "doll" at first sight.

His existence in this realm was unnatural. He didn't belong, and everyone knew this, but they were kind to him anyway.

That was when he didn't have a body.

Now that he had a body, reactions towards him were mixed.

"Get in the car, we're going home," Kaiba said tiredly, trying to shake the feeling that he was always saying this phrase to Mokuba. "Another day, Pharaoh, let's go."

"He doesn't want to see me anymore," Atem repeated stupidly, feeling a wave of anger and hurt rising quickly, and there was nothing he could do to stem it.

These were the mood swings Kaiba had been talking about.

They were intense and hard to control, and it seemed like the littlest things could set him off. He didn't remember feeling this hot-headed when he was in Yugi's body.

"Get in…and please don't fucking cry," Kaiba said impatiently, wondering what he would do if Atem did start crying. "I'll make it up to you."

"How?!" Atem rounded on Kaiba, his fury at an all-time high. "You! It's your fault!"

"Yes, everything is my fault," Kaiba said calmly. "You're hungry and cranky. Get in the car."

Atem wasn't done shouting, and he could feel his anger affecting his speech.

"You-You told them I was a robot…doll…AI!" he sputtered. "And now they're all thinking you _programmed_ me to speak!"

"I said I would make it up to you," Kaiba hissed through gritted teeth, wondering if he really deserved this behavior from the pharaoh. "Get in…the car, or I throw you in."

"Make Yugi believe me," Atem demanded, planting his feet apart and baiting Kaiba out of the car. "Throw me wherever you like. I don't belong here and everyone knows it."

"Who is everyone?" Kaiba asked testily, feeling his eyes heat up with emotion at the way Atem was glaring at him furiously. "Live your own life, and fuck everyone else."

"That is _your_ philosophy, which got you no friends," Atem sneered, taking a step back away from the car. "Leave me here. I'm not going back with you."

Kaiba grit his teeth and lunged out of the car in one solid stride, watching Atem's eyes widen before he grinned devilishly and dashed away, circling the car playfully, just out of his reach.

"You can't catch me," Atem jeered, dodging Kaiba's outstretched hand again, and Kaiba fumed, feeling himself grow terribly aroused. If Atem wanted to play chase, Kaiba couldn't trust himself not to turn it sexual after having caught him.

Atem's smile slid off his face as he watched Kaiba stand very still with his head lowered, and he taunted him again, "Tired? Because you can't catch me, old man?"

Kaiba snapped his head up and surged forward, catching Atem off guard and pinning him to the side of the car, watching the former king attempt to slide out from under him, but Kaiba caught this and shoved a knee between Atem's legs, hearing him let out a soft cry.

"Caught you," Kaiba grinned, and before he could stop himself, he leaned down to land a firm bite on Atem's neck, feeling him shiver happily and throw his arms around his neck, pulling him in closer.

Atem struggled to raise himself higher as he felt a wonderful, hot breath graze his neck, followed by the sting of teeth, and he jutted up on his tiptoes, straining for more.

"Caught," Atem said weakly, wondering why Kaiba had stopped. He held his breath and waited, unwilling to let go, knowing that if he did, the chance to have Kaiba touch him would slip.

Kaiba felt his head rush, growing hot all over as his lips hovered centimeters away from Atem's skin. He could smell the sweet scent of Atem's musk, and it was driving him insane. Going against every screaming fiber in his body, Kaiba opened his mouth and pressed his lips hungrily on Atem's neck, tonguing his skin, tasting him thoroughly.

This…just this…and he would stop.

Atem let out a laugh and padded his hands boldly down the front of Kaiba's thighs, feeling him tense powerfully in response, and he quickly found the metal buckle. Feeling blindly underneath it, a warm, thick hardness met his roaming fingertips, and Atem felt his cheeks burn, his legs growing weaker.

He had only ever touched Kaiba's dick through his clothes. Maybe...with some coaxing, Kaiba would let him see it…!

Large hands cupped the sides of his face and tilted his head upwards, and Atem's breath caught in his throat, gazing longingly up at Kaiba's lustful expression, the corners of his lips curled upwards in a half-smirk.

"Last one…" Kaiba said quietly, bending down once more to kiss Atem deeply, shoving his tongue insistently into his tight, dense mouth, feeling Atem respond with enthusiasm, and his stomach curled with heated pleasure as he wished Atem would rub him harder through his pants.

He would take this moment, internalize it, and use it to get through the next few months before he lost his self-control again.

Atem couldn't breathe. His head spun violently as Kaiba sensually licked the roof of his mouth and sucked playfully on the tip of his tongue, smiling so hard into the kiss, he could feel teeth pressing on his upper lip.

"Higher…higher," Atem hissed, wishing Kaiba would lift him up so he could wrap his legs around his waist. "Pull me up higher!"

"No." Kaiba said firmly, gathering all his strength and wrenching himself out of Atem's grasp. "Stop it. Get in the car."

Supremely disappointed, Atem glared at Kaiba's back as he opened the car door and got in. He glanced down at his erection and itched all over, wishing Kaiba would touch his dick, at least once, or even through his clothes...anything!

Trying to stop his anger from overflowing again, Atem circled the car and yanked the passenger door open, throwing himself in the seat before slamming the door shut beside him and feeling the car roll forward gently.

"Touch me through my clothes," Atem demanded, turning in his seat to glare at Kaiba, wishing he could throw himself at the CEO and just melt. "Or I'll find someone else who will."

 _Nice threat_ , Kaiba thought mildly, pulling the car onto the highway and doing his best to ignore the raging boner inside his own pants.

"Don't ignore me like I don't exist," Atem fumed, gripping his knees tightly, unsure of where all this pent-up aggression was coming from. "Kissing is a nice activity."

"It is," Kaiba said, biting back a smile. "And we shouldn't be kissing."

"Why the hell not?" Atem asked furiously, watching the greenery zip by his window, and he felt another rush of anger. "You like me. I like you. That much is clear. There is not conflict here."

 _The conflict is that you are 16_ , Kaiba thought darkly, tightening his grip on the wheel. _The same age as Mokuba._

"Your sentence structure is getting better," Kaiba replied teasingly, throwing Atem a soft smirk, and he heard a low, guttural growl from the seat beside him.

"You are impossible," Atem scoffed, leaning back into the seat as the car drove down a familiar road. "It's no wonder I didn't know you had feelings for me. I kept second guessing myself because you keep acting like this."

"Right," Kaiba answered mildly, thinking he would say anything to make the pharaoh less angry. "We're home."

And he carefully drove up his expansive sloped driveway and parked the car right in front of the large mansion doors, shutting the engine off and giving Atem an exasperated look.

He didn't have time to blink or react when Atem reached over the center console and grabbed him around the shoulders to pull him into a sloppy kiss, missing his lips completely, and Kaiba felt teeth pressing into his chin.

"Ow," Kaiba said playfully, attempting to shove Atem away, but the grip around his shoulders tightened further.

"A proper kiss," Atem said breathlessly, squirming in discomfort because he could feel his erection leaking at the tip and into his underwear, making it stick to his dick tightly.

"We already did that," Kaiba replied hoarsely, unable to speak because his heart had leapt into his throat. That, combined with Atem's iron-like grip around his shoulders aroused him even more.

"Another one," Atem demanded, shoving his forehead against Kaiba's, meshing their hair together at the bangs. "Until I say you can leave. Do it until I am satisfied."

"And…when…will that be?" Kaiba asked frantically, seeing a figure approaching the car out of the corner of his eye, and he knew it was Isono, so he hastily pried Atem off of him and scrambled out of the car, his legs feeling oddly weak.  
Atem had an effect on him. God damn.

"Welcome back, Master Kaiba," Isono said stiffly, bowing and holding a hand out for the car keys. "Would you like me to put the car back?"

"Yeah," Kaiba said roughly, hearing the door slam on the other side, and he tossed the keys at Isono, not bothering to see if his manservant had caught them before he rushed into the house, hearing Atem's light footsteps patter closely behind him, catching up quickly.  
Shit, no.  
If Atem kept acting like this, he wasn't sure he could resist anymore.

He needed to hide and take refuge in his office, mainly to masturbate, so that the urge to touch Atem would go away.

Kaiba bolted up the grand staircase, taking them three at a time, and hearing Atem's angry voice close behind him, still trying to negotiate.

"How about…we spend an hour a day, together? Or even, thirty minutes?" Atem panted, partially glad that he could keep up due to how well he had been following the personal trainer's workout schedule.

Kaiba ignored him and made a desperate lunge for the door to his office, and to his great surprise, Atem nimbly slid in front of him and blocked his way in, leaning heavily on the door, glaring furiously.

"Fifteen minutes, with kissing," Atem insisted with finality, still trying to catch his breath. "You're a businessman, Kaiba, make some time."

"One hour, no kissing," Kaiba said, feeling his chest ache with a mixture of amusement and hatred at himself for even saying that. "Step aside."

"Thirty minutes, one kiss," Atem countered, reaching out to grab any part of Kaiba, but was incredibly irritated when he saw Kaiba dodge him and back away, giving him a full view of the bulge in his pants.

"Or…something else?" Atem asked hopefully, pointing at Kaiba's visible boner, and Kaiba clenched his jaw, shaking his head. His voice was gone. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would say something horribly inappropriate to Atem.

"I need something," Atem cried, feeling as if he was coming apart with frustration. "What are your terms?"

 _Terms?_ Kaiba thought wildly, wondering why Atem had to make it sound so oddly contractual. Or maybe he was still figuring out how to speak Japanese, so he sounded strangely formal.

After a long moment, Kaiba managed to speak, feeling his back grow numb from the marble banister behind him.

"We can spend as much time together as you want," he said, watching Atem's eyes widen. "If you want…one kiss, I can do that."

"Two, then," Atem pressed, wondering if he ought to try his luck. Did Kaiba think he was germ?

"One, or none at all," Kaiba said stiffly, folding his arms across his chest. "And you've more than two today. So come see me the day after tomorrow."

Atem felt his eyelid twitch as he struggled to process what Kaiba was saying. Why the restriction?

"Why?!" Atem finally managed to ask, watching Kaiba push past him and enter his office. He hurriedly followed him inside and glanced around excitedly. This was his first time in here after so many months…!

"Because I don't feel like it," Kaiba lied, roughly yanking off his tie and throwing it on his nightstand. "So this arrangement is fine."

And he strode into the bathroom and shut the door, letting his breath out softly, trying to calm his pounding heart.  
He was going to lose.  
He already knew he was going to lose from the very start, but now that Atem was sitting on his bed, he had definitely lost.

* * *

 **Author's note: ++ PLEASE FUCKING READ ++**

This story has been marked as explicit (as are all of my other stories), so you know what you clicked.

I can already see it. "wow you're a horrible person ugli" flooding in my inbox or PMs after the next chapter.

so, lets get that out of the way first.  
Yes, I am a horrible person  
#yes #truth #facts2k18  
AND

 **This is a warning to all readers who are sensitive, that the next chapter may not be suitable for you.** Consider yourself warned.

This is a perfect time to also say:

* 13 is the legal age of consent in Japan. (and where is this story set? Wow would you look at that, Japan.)

* this is a work of fiction w fictional characters

* I am not what I write, nor do I condone the actions of said fictional characters

So please don't send me hate mail. That shit is not cool and it's not good for my mental health.

Don't like, don't read (uncommon common sense)  
UN SUB SCRIBE (a freeing choice)  
blah blah blah (my frustrations at previous hate comments in 3 words) Cant stress that enough (I really meant this tho)

thank you ylje for your edits. They help improve the story so much!

Yours sincerely,

an ugli who is bracing for an onslaught of hate mail about kaiba having sex with 16 yr old atem. oop a spoiler not really?


	4. Chapter 4

Atem rolled around on Kaiba's large bed, listening to the water running in the bathroom and enjoying the softness of the sheets, stretching out as much as he wanted.

He gazed up at the high ceiling, feeling light and happy. Kaiba's scent drifted up around him from the pillows, warm and familiar.

Atem buried his nose into the fabric and shut his eyes, deeply aroused. This was a scent he had missed. This was the scent he couldn't recreate in his mind when he was in bed, alone.

Sinking deeper into the mattress, Atem could feel himself drifting off. No…no!  
He had to stay awake.

Prying his eyes open, he sat up so quickly, his head spun, and he did his best to ignore it, glancing around the room and wondering what he could do to keep himself preoccupied. Was Kaiba hiding in the bathroom on purpose?

He had been in there for so long!

Kaiba was hiding in the bathroom. He had his ear pressed to the door, wondering if Atem would fall asleep before he came out again.

The light rustling sounds had faded and Kaiba wondered if it was safe to come out. Deciding against it, he waited a bit longer, wondering if he ought to masturbate.

Atem stared at the steel handles of the nightstand and gave one a slow tug, finding it empty. Disgruntled, he slid off the bed and opened every single drawer, determined to find something personal of Kaiba's.  
There had to be something here.  
There were so many drawers, they couldn't all be empty.

Atem circled the bed methodically and started opening all the drawers of the other nightstand, hearing a rattle in the bottommost one, and he yanked it open hastily with glee, spying something shiny at the bottom.

He reached down and felt around the back, his fingers closing around an odd shape, and he pulled it out, shocked to discover that it was a sex toy.

Atem stared at the phallic object, thinking he shouldn't feel shocked at all.

Actually, he knew the name of this toy…! He distinctly remembered Jounouchi and Honda joking about stuff like this, telling each other to go fuck themselves with….

 _A dildo!_ Atem crowed triumphantly to himself, holding it up to the light and inspecting it closer.

It wasn't anything fancy. It was solid black colored silicon with no markings, indents or bumps, other than the 'on' switch located at the flat bottom.

Frowning to himself, Atem rose to his feet and set the device upright on the nightstand, staring at it, wondering why it wasn't in the shape of a penis.  
If anything, it looked very boring.  
Cylindrical and featureless.

Slightly irritated that it wasn't more exciting, Atem switched it on by sliding the plastic tab upwards, and watched with mild fascination as it began to vibrate gently on the nightstand.

 _That's it?_ Atem frowned, picking it up and turning it over in his hands, giving it a vicious shake. Nothing happened.

Great. Boring.

Tossing it onto the bed with a sigh, Atem decided he would play with it anyway, telling himself that it ought to be fine.  
He never had anything to insert back there when he was in his room….

Atem paused in his thoughts and stared at the toy, a sudden heat rushing to his cheeks when he realized that this had probably been inside of Kaiba at some point.

That thought excited him greatly, and he snatched the toy up with renewed determination, his heart racing in his chest as he wondered how he should go about starting. It couldn't just go in without…lubricant?

Deeply appreciative that he had eavesdropped on many of Honda's perverted conversations with Jounouchi, he slid off the bed and scanned the room again, wondering where Kaiba would possibly keep lubricant.

Both the nightstands were empty, and it definitely wouldn't be in his desk, so the only places left to look were the bathroom and the closet. The bathroom was currently occupied, so that left only one option.

Atem dashed towards the closet door and yanked it open, startled when a light flashed on overhead, and an entire hallway of drawers appeared in his view.

Enormous!

This closet was a room by itself, and it seemed to go on for miles, and the ceiling was lined with light blue LED lights.

Atem's breath caught in his chest as he stepped into the closet, staring at all the steel coat hangers, and at every single suit jacket with their matching ties, managing to spot a few familiar articles of clothing.

He began pulling out the wide drawers, his head spinning at the sheer number of shoes in every single one.

How could one man wear this many shoes?! He had only ever seen Kaiba wear one set…maybe two? Atem wasn't sure. Maybe he needed to pay more attention to what Kaiba wore on his feet, because there were so many shoes in these drawers.

Some had dark laces, some had no laces, some were full-on leather, slick and shiny, while others had stacked heels, and some even had a patterned lining on the inside.

As he continued to explore, he noticed that many shoes were still in their boxes, and Atem shook his head in disbelief. He would've never pegged Kaiba to be an avid…shoe collector.

He reached for another shoebox, and this one rattled oddly.

Excited, Atem pried the top open and let out an excited laugh, hearing it echo in the spacious room. Jackpot!

Kaiba heard no sound through the bathroom door, so he poked his head out, surprised to see that Atem had left.

Frowning, he walked towards the bed and froze, horrified to see his dildo on one of the pillows. It was still on and vibrating gently across the surface of the sheets.

What…the fuck. Oh shit. Oh fuck. Atem…that fucking scoundrel!

Kaiba felt the room spin as he eyed his closet door, breaking out into a cold sweat. Oh no…oh fucking hell. Had Atem found his box of sin somewhere amid all his shoes?!

Atem knelt gracefully and emptied the contents of the shoebox hastily on the carpeted floor, inspecting each item, his heart racing with joy.

He knew the names of some of these toys.

There was another black dildo, and to Atem's great pleasure, this one _was_ shaped like a penis. He set it aside and frowned as he brushed his fingers across a set of clamps hanging off a thin, metal chain.

He untangled them and held them up higher towards his face, wondering if they were supposed to be connected or tied together somehow.

No, the clamps were a thing of their own, and this belt was supposed to be for…?

Atem sifted through the pile again, shoving aside a string of anal beads, rope, another odd device, and a pair of women's pantyhose.

Horrified at that discovery, Atem hastily separated the pantyhose from the pile and pressed them to his nose, trying to catch the scent of perfume from the woman they came from.

The smell of plastic invaded his nostrils and Atem tossed them aside, disgusted. They had probably been in this box for so long, the scent was gone.

This meant that…Kaiba had had a girlfriend at some point before he had returned to this dimension.

A girlfriend….

Overwhelmed with rage, Atem rose to his feet, clutching the pantyhose in his fist, wondering who she was. Of course, he would never see or find a picture of her, even if he asked. Kaiba was a private person.

Furiously kicking the box of toys aside and not bothering to put everything back, Atem strode through the closet and made his way to the door, intent on giving Kaiba a piece of his mind.

He reached for the handle, but the door swung open before he even touched it, and Kaiba towered over him, his blue eyes unusually wide with panic.

Atem knew that look well and he caught on immediately, holding the pantyhose up and watching the color drain rapidly from Kaiba's face.

"Yeah…that expression suits you," Atem taunted, trying to keep his rage in check, but he could feel himself spiraling into negativity and insults. "Who did these belong to? You know, you could've just told me the truth, Kaiba. _'I don't_ _feel like it'_ is code for 'I wish you were a woman!'"

Kaiba opened his mouth to retaliate but found that he had lost his voice. His throat was dry and his knees were growing weak. He could see his box of sex toys scattered messily on the ground at the far end of the closet, and he swallowed painfully, wondering if he should explain himself.

But on the other hand, Atem looked livid, and it was turning him on.

"Well?!" Atem challenged, pulling the pantyhose between his hands and trying not to let the crushing feeling in his chest consume him.  
Why should he be surprised or even disappointed?  
Kaiba was an attractive man, after all.  
Women liked him.  
Men liked him.

Kaiba blinked rapidly and forced himself to speak, deciding not to tell the truth just yet.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he said lamely, moving away from the closet doorway and back towards the bed, intent on getting the dildo out of sight.

Atem followed closely at his heels and stood silently behind him, watching him pick the dildo up from the bed.

Swallowing thickly, Atem reached out to snatch it out of Kaiba's hands before backing away into the farthest corner of the room, still fuming.

Shocked, Kaiba didn't move, and he tried not to laugh as he watched Atem stare angrily at the pantyhose and dildo in his arms.

"This is yours?" Atem asked angrily, holding the dildo up and watching Kaiba lean delicately on the edge of his bed and fold his arms stiffly across his chest, nodding once ever so slightly, he almost missed the movement.

"And whose are these?" Atem asked carefully, holding his breath as he tossed the pantyhose on the ground, hating them with his entire being. "What's her name?"

"Irrelevant," Kaiba sniffed, feeling his ears burn with embarrassment, and wondering if it showed on his face.

They were obviously his…and he wondered how long it would take for Atem to piece it together.

Atem fell eerily quiet, and Kaiba tried not to panic as he watched the former pharaoh stare at the floor, clearly attempting to sort his feelings out.

There was a long, heavy silence before Atem lifted his head with a determined look on his face.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me," he said hoarsely, holding the dildo up threateningly, and Kaiba felt another laugh building in his chest. Atem was so fucking cute when he was angry.

"This is mine, and you will never see it again," Atem declared, tucking the dildo under his arm and marching across the room towards the door. "And you won't see _me_ again until you tell me the name of that woman."

Kaiba frowned and felt his panic rising. That sounded…less cute. Atem was really fucking angry.

"Wait..." Kaiba said frantically, watching Atem pause at the door with a smirk, and he realized in that moment that he was being played.

Atem didn't really mean that, did he?

But just in case….

"You'll hurt yourself with that thing, give it back," Kaiba said firmly, glad to hear that his voice didn't waver with amusement.

"Then where is your lubricant?" Atem shot back, standing rigidly by the door, gripping the handle so tightly, his tanned knuckles turned pale.

Kaiba bit the tip of his tongue and tasted blood. Okay, okay, right…giving Atem lubricant should technically be harmless, because otherwise, he would hurt himself, right?

Atem counted three heartbeats before he saw Kaiba move towards his desk to pull open a drawer and pull out an unmarked bottle. It _was_ in his desk after all, damn it!

Excited, he watched Kaiba toss it onto the bed with uncanny precision before swiftly sitting down behind his desk and folding his hands together in front of his face with a stony expression.

Thinking he had won, Atem smiled to himself and walked back over to the bed, crawling across the mattress to pick up the lubricant before sitting back on his heels, uncapping it to give it a tentative whiff.

It smelled like nothing.

How disappointing. Everything was so plain.

Well, this was fine.

"This is your punishment," Atem said firmly, shifting himself on the bed and slipping his pants off quickly. "Fortunately, I know what kind of man you are."

"Right, whatever," Kaiba said lightly, flipping open his laptop and gazing down at his blank desktop, trying to ignore the erection that was already straining against the zipper of his pants.

It was just more proof that even just the sight of Atem on his bed was enough to make him hard. He was in for a rough evening.

Atem poured the lubricant into his palm and curled his fingers, coating them fully, and he opened his fist again, pleased to see his hand shine with slickness under the low lights.

Inching his underwear down his hips, he grabbed one of Kaiba's pillows and pressed it against his chest while he reached down with his lubricated hand to grab his own dick, giving himself a few long strokes and inhaling deeply, letting Kaiba's fresh scent fill his lungs.

He would masturbate and cum all over Kaiba's things, and then leave. Atem vowed to himself in that moment that he would do this for the next week until Kaiba snapped.

Now, the main question was: how to insert the dildo without hurting himself?

Another irritating thing was that Kaiba wasn't looking at him.

Hissing in annoyance, Atem decided he would forget Kaiba for a moment and just focus on enjoying himself.

He inched his hand down the back of his thigh and groped his own ass cheek, lifting his legs high in the air, flashing Kaiba his balls. There was no reaction from the CEO as his face remained cold and expressionless.

Unperturbed, Atem gently rubbed his lube-slicked hand down along the rim of his hole, and he clenched experimentally before slowly pressing a finger inside himself, making sure to stroke his length steadily as he did so, leaning his head back and sighing, giving in to the pleasure of his own hand.

He felt slightly electrified, and he knew it was because Kaiba was in the room with him. Kaiba didn't even have to raise his head to look, just the thought of Kaiba staring at him was enough to make Atem leak at the tip.

Kaiba tapped absently at his keyboard, watching _'xxbcnxxnxbxbxnnnxnx'_ flit across his screen in neat, even rows, as he tried his best to ignore Atem masturbating on his bed.

Willpower. Restraint.  
Atem was 16.  
The age of Mokuba.

 _But… wasn't he a thousand-year-old spirit?_ a small voice whispered in the back of his head, and Kaiba grit his teeth harder, seeing spots dancing in the corner of his vision.

He heard a soft gasp, and his head snapped up against his will and he immediately regretted it, but couldn't look away because his eyes were now glued to the way Atem's fingers were stretching his pink hole, which was shining wet with lubricant, while his other hand was slowly rubbing his length up and down.

 _Oh…shit._ Kaiba paled and blinked rapidly, managing to tear his eyes away, and he lowered his gaze to his computer screen, absently tapping the 'x' key over and over, wondering who he was trying to fool.

"Kaiba…" Atem's voice was sinfully seductive in his ears and Kaiba wished he could sink into the floor to escape this wonderful…glorious…situation where Atem was offering himself on his very bed; a dream he had had a thousand times before, so much that he didn't know which version was real anymore.

Was this real?  
Or was this another one of his wishfully hallucinated episodes?

"This ugly…plastic thing will enter me before you," Atem said gleefully, waving the still-vibrating dildo near the backs of his legs and giving his leaking dick an excited twitch, growing breathless with excitement.

He was so close. Baiting Kaiba was easy. He was almost there. Kaiba hated being 'second', in anything, so naturally, if an object were to touch his virginity first, Atem was sure this would make Kaiba come running to the bed, if nothing else.

"Nothing has ever been here before," Atem continued mockingly, rolling over onto his stomach and reaching his hand down between his legs, giving his own balls a firm knead and shivering happily.

"Look…I suppose you get a first glimpse—" He grabbed one asscheek and spread himself so wide, the delicate skin around the rim stretched painfully, and he winced visibly, still smirking confidently at Kaiba, seeing his shoulders shaking.

Kaiba was chewing the tip of his tongue so hard, he tasted blood. He saw the tip of the black vibrator touch Atem's rim, and he jumped to his feet with a low growl, crossing the room in a few long strides while frantically unclipping his belt and unbuttoning his pants.

Atem grinned and threw Kaiba another playful smirk over his shoulder, only managing to catch a dark, lustful look painted across Kaiba's handsome features, before a thick, hot length stretched his rim painfully and slid into him so deeply, his stomach churned and his arms grew weak.

Letting out a soft cry, Atem struggled to breathe as Kaiba continued to thrust rapidly into him without pausing or giving him time to recover from each shuddering wave of pleasure that washed over him again and again.

Kaiba felt lightheaded as he edged himself closer onto the bed, sinking one knee down on the mattress and keeping his other foot steady on the floor for support as he gripped Atem's hips and leaned into him heavily, enjoying the heated warmth that engulfed his dick every time he rocked forward, earning a lewd cry from the pharaoh underneath him. A deep curl of satisfaction swirled low in his chest every time he heard one of Atem's pleasurable sighs.

Yes.  
This was what he wanted.  
This was what he had always wanted.  
He had spent the past few years, and several billion dollars, almost running himself into debt…just to have Atem like this, in this position underneath him, today, right now.

Atem gathered the sheets underneath him and pushed back against Kaiba's length with all of his might, enjoying the way Kaiba's toned stomach touched his ass every time he thrust forward, and he shivered happily, unable to voice his thoughts because his mind was gone, drowned in the wonderful waves of heat that washed over him violently, each different from the last. He could feel Kaiba's breath against the back of his neck, Kaiba's hand wrapped around his leaking tip, his thumb rubbing agonizing circles around his slit and spreading the wetness around intentionally, so much that it was embarrassing.

Kaiba was having a mild dilemma. The part of his mind that was still able to think clearly was telling him to pull out before he came, but the part of his mind that was buried inside Atem's ass had already succumbed to a gut-wrenching orgasm, and Kaiba shuddered deeply, unable to stomach the clenching wave of pleasure that weakened his knees, and he leaned his entire weight onto Atem, shoving himself in at an angle that made Atem squirm and gasp, "There!" before a rush of hot semen covered the hand that was wrapped around the pharaoh's dick, and Kaiba gave Atem a few more spiteful thrusts just to make a point, deeply enjoying the feeling of his slender body writhing against his, and hands came clawing at his shoulders, pushing him away, but Kaiba held on and bit down gently on Atem's shoulder blade, leaving a red ring of teeth marks, and he leaned back, satisfied with his work.

Unable to move, Atem's eyelids fluttered shut, and he tried to catch his breath, now feeling everything at once.

The rim around his hole ached and burned with a strange fire, because Kaiba was motionless, still inside him and also breathing heavily behind him.

There was an odd bruise-like feeling throbbing at his neck and shoulder, his nipples were stinging from having been pinched hard, and the arm that was trapped under Kaiba's body was beginning to grow numb.

"Pain…" Atem said weakly, hearing nothing but a dignified huff of air behind his ear, and a hot tongue flicked out to lick his earlobe.

Laughing and flinching, Atem brought his knees to his chest and felt Kaiba slowly extract himself and fall away towards the other side of the bed.

Finally, Kaiba had set his strange rules aside, and…it had been great! A little short, but they could always do it again, right?

"We'll do it more later, right?" Atem said confidently, wanting to confirm future pleasurable activities with Kaiba verbally.

"I think…I might die," Kaiba answered weakly, carefully draping an arm across his brow, letting the cum dry off his fingers as he willed his heart to calm down. It was thundering in his ears and everything in his vision was still green.

Did he really just have sex with the Pharaoh Atem, or had he inadvertently taken a shot of heroine?

Everything felt hot, and warm…pleasant, and…peaceful?

He had never known peace, so what did that feel like?

Was it this?

Atem's spiky hair poked him in the nose as the former king laid his head down on his chest, speaking deeply, "My next conquest…is Yugi."

Kaiba snapped out of his blissful stupor and struggled to sit up, glaring at the mass of spiky hair on his chest before thunking his head down on the mattress and giving up. Too dizzy to sit up.

"Conquest?" Kaiba echoed incredulously, wondering if he ought to feel offended. "What the fuck am I to you? A piece of land?"

"No!" Atem shook his head and Kaiba winced, his chest chafing from all the spiky hair pressing against his skin. "I spoke badly. I meant, I need to win over Yugi. He thinks I'm…not real. I'm worried about him."

"Oh shut up." Kaiba rolled his eyes and took deep, even breaths, thankful that his heart rate was finally calming down. "Worry about me for a change."

Atem smiled to himself and closed his eyes, enjoying the steady rise and fall of Kaiba's chest, letting himself drift off.

* * *

There was a soft buzzing coming from the floor, and Kaiba pried his eyes open steadily, gazing blankly at the ceiling, letting the bright sunlight filtering in from the tall windows sting his eyes.

He was acutely aware of the mass of spiky hair in the lower corner of his vision, right beside his shoulder, and he sighed contentedly, closing his eyes again, breathing in Atem's musky scent mixed with the semen from their lovemaking last night.

This was not a dream.  
Last night had been real.

His phone was still buzzing on the floor and his thigh ached strangely.

Not wanting to get up just yet, Kaiba leaned back into the pillows and rolled onto his side, burying his nose in the nape of Atem's neck, feeling the pharaoh shift in his sleep, and warm heels kicked at his shins.

Atem frowned in his sleep and buried himself under the sheets, hating the sudden brightness as he was slowly woken by Kaiba kissing him down his back…clearly too early in the morning.

The phone that was on the floor kept pausing between rings. It seemed whoever was trying to reach Kaiba was really insistent. Was it urgent?

"Kaiba…" Atem said tiredly, rolling over onto his stomach to escape Kaiba's lips drifting across his shoulder blades, and felt Kaiba follow him, his naked body leaning heavily on top of him, his breath hot behind the shell of his ear, sounding amused. "Good morning."

"Get your phone," Atem mumbled into the pillow, and tried to go back to sleep. His lower legs ached from the vigorous lovemaking…something he would need to grow accustomed to.

Kaiba pressed his forehead down against Atem's shoulder and sighed again, mentally counting to five, preparing himself to start his day, before rolling off him and into a sitting position, glancing at the floor groggily for his phone.

He spied a glowing rectangle in the pocket of his crumpled pants, and he picked them up slowly, slipping his phone out and frowning, first at the time, and then at the caller ID.

 **11:16 AM**

 **Yugi M.** _[3 missed calls, call back…]_

"Fuck," Kaiba muttered under his breath, throwing a worried glance at Atem on his bed before sliding his thumb across the screen and pressing the phone to his ear, listening to the rings.

A breathless Yugi answered the phone quickly, "Kaiba-kun! I tried your office several times, and they said you weren't in today? So I hope I'm not bothering you on your day off—"

"What the fuck do you want?" Kaiba said coldly, moving to sit down against the edge of the mattress, his stomach churning with hunger.

It had seemingly been a great morning, after waking up next to Atem, but now he was clearly late for work, and Yugi wanted to continue lecturing him on how _inhumane_ he was being with "Atem's AI".

"I-I know it's bad of me to ask…considering how we left you yesterday," Yugi said quietly, and Kaiba could practically see him fidgeting in his mind's eye.

Atem perked his ears up, thinking he had heard Yugi's voice faintly in the room, and he sat up quickly, his heart pounding as he wondered if he was hallucinating.

Kaiba saw this movement and cursed internally again, only half-listening to what Yugi was saying.

 _"…How does that sound, Kaiba-kun?"_

"What?" Kaiba replied hollowly, seeing Atem crawl towards him, his angular eyes wide and expectant, his tanned skin glistening in the bright afternoon sun.

"Can I see the AI today?" Yugi repeated in a rush, feeling a bubble of guilt sit low in his chest. Anzu had specifically told him not to follow Kaiba in his delusions…but he couldn't help it if he felt a connection to Atem…or anything that looked, walked, and spoke like him…!

"Is that Yugi?" Atem asked, fully aware that the answer was 'yes', and he held his hand out regally, sitting back on his heels. "Let me talk to him."

"Not…a good idea," Kaiba hissed through gritted teeth, holding the phone away from his face, and he heard Yugi let out a gasp on the other end.

 _"Did I just hear his voice?! Does he want to talk to me?!"_

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Kaiba growled, muting Yugi and tossing the phone onto the bed, watching Atem pick it up gingerly. "What happened to 'no contact' and 'I don't want to interrupt his life?'"

Atem gazed at Kaiba, looking deeply conflicted.

"I…want to talk to him," he whispered, gripping the phone so tightly, his palms began to sweat. "We can be friends in this life without interrupting each other."

They stared at each other in silence for a long moment before Kaiba relented and gave Atem a dismissive wave over his shoulder, marching into the bathroom to wash up.

Wondering if he ought to feel happy, Atem tapped on the phone screen, unmuting Yugi and pressing the device to his ear. "Yugi?"

"Atem!" Yugi cried happily, wondering why there had been such a long silence beforehand. Had Kaiba been giving the AI commands?

"What do you need, Aibou?" Atem said fluidly, slipping into familiarity too soon, and he heard a pause on the other end before Yugi replied with, "…Want to have lunch with me?"

"Yes!" Atem answered enthusiastically, and his stomach grumbled happily too. "Where and when? Today, right?"

"Yes…today," Yugi said, sounding oddly distant. "Wh-What would you like to eat? Can you…eat?"

"Of course I can eat," Atem responded loftily, edging off the bed and eyeing the bathroom door longingly, hearing the water running. His skin itched from sweat and dried semen.

"Well…let's eat together then," Yugi said, sounding nervous. "Can you …come over? Do you want to go somewhere? Um…"

"I can go to you," Atem said firmly, kicking their clothes into a pile on the floor, because he had almost tripped on Kaiba's pant leg walking across the room.

"Great!" Yugi said brightly, and there was another awkward pause before Atem decided to end the call with, "See you soon, Yugi."

The phone clicked off in Yugi's ear, and he lowered it slowly, staring at it blankly, lost in his own thoughts.

Anzu was going to kill him. She had specifically said during the car ride back from the docks, "Don't encourage Kaiba's delusions by confirming AI Atem's existence."

But…the talk they had on the pier had been too short! And it had really felt genuine. Last night, he had gotten some of the best sleep of his life, because the talk with Atem had been soul-cleansing.

If he did it again and again…then maybe he could gain some closure.

 _And this is why Kaiba-kun is crazy_ , Yugi sighed to himself, leaning his head down in his arms on the kitchen counter, kicking his legs aimlessly on the narrow stool.

His phone buzzed in his hand, and Yugi jerked his head back up to see who it was.

 **Jou:** yo yug, sorry for dipping out on ya yesterday. So how'd it go?

"Good," Yugi mumbled, propping his elbows up on the counter and typing his response quickly.

 **Yugi:** the Ai felt very real. I like him a lot. He's coming over today.

 **Jou:** who? The AI?! …uh….it can walk?!

 **Yugi:** yep. And…eat, apparently. Which was why Kaiba was buying it food the other day….

 **Jou:** (ok sign) that's kinda fucked up but ok.

Yugi sighed heavily and shut his eyes briefly, wondering how he could get his best friend to be more accepting.

 **Yugi:** seriously jou, come over and talk to him. Its not as fked up as u think.

 **Jou:** naaaaah yug, gotta hard pass on that. (thumbs up)

 **Yugi:** Please? Kaiba wont be here. It'll just be…us 3.

There was a long pause before his phone buzzed with a response.

 **Jou:** mk. but we orderin pizza at ur place. Ur payin cuz im broke.

 **Yugi:** yyyyyyyyy. Ok. ugh.

Tapping away from his chat with Jounouchi, Yugi hesitated before sending Kaiba an apprehensive text. This was his first time casually messaging Kaiba, and Yugi wondered if this was strange behavior.

Their interactions usually consisted of emails, very public announcements from Kaiba's end, or anything relayed through Mokuba.

* * *

Atem sat nervously in the limo beside Kaiba, watching him power on a spare phone and hand it to him, looking grim.

"My numbers are all in there," Kaiba said, watching the pharaoh lift the phone from his grasp and turn it over incredulously in his hands, his violet eyes wide with excitement.

"Thank you, Kaiba," Atem said gratefully, staring down at the crisp background on the phone screen. "I'll call or message if anything happens."

"Call and message even if nothing happens," Kaiba sniffed, and his knee bumped gently against Atem's as the car made a turn on the road.

He was trying to quell the dread and apprehension about leaving Atem alone with Yugi, and he had to remind himself to be the bigger person, because ultimately, at the end of the day, Atem slept in his bed, and not anyone else's.

Kaiba's phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out instinctively, feeling Atem lean intrusively over his arm to read what was on the screen.

 **Yugi:** Does the Ai require any special care?

 _Special care?_ Atem wrinkled his nose and watched Kaiba ignore the message, sticking his phone back into his pocket.

Kaiba felt Atem stiffen beside him and threw him a swift glance before leaning down to kiss him deeply, attempting to distract him from the message.

Atem froze and blinked rapidly, enjoying the warmth of Kaiba's lips against his, wondering what the occasion was for this kiss. Was Kaiba…actually feeling insecure?

Smiling slightly, Atem wrapped his arms warmly around Kaiba's neck and slid one leg over Kaiba's knee, feeling a cold hand slide up his thigh and readily grope his ass.

The car lurched slightly, and Kaiba pulled away quickly, his lips burning as he glanced out the window, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of his heart, and the flush that was steadily creeping across his cheeks.

They had parked alongside the curb of the game shop, but Atem's eyes were glued to Kaiba's Adam's apple, fascinated by the way it was jumping in Kaiba's throat every time he swallowed.  
How delightful….  
Seeing Kaiba up close was always much more rewarding, and Atem realized that during their duels, he missed seeing these minute actions in his rival.

"We're here," Kaiba said quietly, and Atem slid his leg off of Kaiba's, glancing out the car window apprehensively.

The Kame game shop sat just a few feet away with its brightly painted walls and its multicolored sign, looking the same as ever. Nothing had changed.

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and he turned to give Kaiba a worried look, but was met with a small, reassuring smile.

"See you in a few hours," Kaiba said quietly, giving Atem a slight nudge and watching him nod stiffly and climb gracefully out of the car.

Yugi was watching from the upstairs window, and he held his breath, seeing the AI climb out of the car with ease and wave at the occupants inside before the car drove off down the road.

Amazing. The AI even moved like a real human…was he hallucinating?

The doorbell rang, jolting Yugi out of his thoughts, and he dashed down the stairs to answer the door.

He almost tripped on the doormat as he pulled the door open, staring at Atem standing in the doorway before him, dressed in a pair of dark, athletic pants and a plain black t-shirt.

"Aibou," Atem said warmly, his heart swelling with happiness at Yugi's astounded expression. He recognized this look. This was pleasant surprise.

"Thanks for coming," Yugi said hoarsely, stepping aside to let the AI in, and he stared so hard at the tips of Atem's spiky hair, his eyes burned. What was his hair made out of? Had…Kaiba used real hair…?

The AI was glancing around the shop with great interest, and Yugi felt his ears burn.

"Nothing has changed!" Atem said happily, turning to face Yugi, and he was met with another shocked look. He tilted his head at his partner, wondering what it was this time. "What, Yugi?"

"You've…never been here before but, yeah, nothing's really changed," Yugi mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and moving towards the connecting door at the back of the shop, gesturing for Atem to follow.

Now that he had the AI alone, he felt jittery and unsure of himself. Kaiba's programming of this doll was extremely uncanny, even making him say heart-wrenching things such as "nothing has changed".

Atem frowned at Yugi's back, and he followed him quickly into the house with familiarity, taking off his shoes at the mat, and circled around to block Yugi's path into the house.

"Aibou, it's me," Atem said deeply, watching Yugi hesitate in his step and dodge him nervously. Frowning at his new behavior, Atem trailed closely after Yugi, staring at the nape of his neck where the mass of spiky hair began to grow, and the hair along his arms raised slightly.

Did Yugi not believe him? He was being ignored…!

"Yugi…" Atem began, deciding to push until he won Yugi's trust again, and Yugi lifted his head to give him a sad smile.

"Yes, I know it's you," Yugi said quietly, his hand inching down his pocket for his phone as it buzzed with texts from Jounouchi. "A friend is coming to see you, okay?"

"No, it's really me," Atem insisted, taking a step closer towards Yugi and watching his Aibou take a step back instinctively, and he began to grow desperate. "I'm not an AI. That was a lie. Please, Yugi…"

And Atem curled his fingers into his palms, tensing. "…please believe me. Look into my eyes. Can't you see that it's me?"

Yugi blinked rapidly, wavering slightly on the spot, his violet eyes wide with shock and fear. "H-How do I know Kaiba-kun didn't program you to say that?!"

Atem's frustration was reaching an all-time high, and he reached forward to grab Yugi's hand, pressing it to his chest over his heart, hearing Yugi let out a surprised gasp and attempt to jerk his hand away briefly before stilling.

"I have… a beating heart," Atem said almost angrily, feeling Yugi's fingers tensing and curling nervously against his chest, but he kept his hold firm, intent on conveying to Yugi that he was human.

"And I bleed if you cut me. I can eat, sleep…and can still play Duel Monsters. Yugi—"

Yugi jerked his hand away and rubbed his wrist, his eyes darting from left to right as he backed away slowly, extremely terrified. Maybe…spending time with this AI was a bad idea after all! It was no wonder Kaiba acted the way he did on the pier.

When he said Atem had feelings, he wasn't joking. But why would you make an AI believe that they're a real person?! That was just cruel.

"I understand," Yugi whispered hoarsely, his skin burning where the AI had touched him. "You're real. You can eat, sleep and play Duel Monsters."

A dark look flitted across the AI's face, when Yugi was saved momentarily by a loud knock on the door.

"Coming!" Yugi cried, edging around Atem and rushing to answer it, leaving Atem standing alone in the living room.

Unable to contain his frustration and rage, Atem ran a hand through his spiky hair, gazing at the staircase leading up to Yugi's room.

Letting Kaiba lie for him was the worst thing to ever happen, because it seemed that nothing he said was being taken seriously by Yugi.

Outside, Yugi had pulled Jounouchi aside and was giving him a quick warning.

"He thinks he's real, so treat him like...normal." Yugi struggled to find the words, and Jounouchi gaped at him, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Whaddya mean he thinks he's real?" Jounouchi repeated, looking slightly disturbed, and he eyed the street, wondering if it wasn't too late to change his mind and leave. "And what's normal?"

"Just…talk to him like he's really Atem, okay?" Yugi insisted, pulling Jounouchi into the house and pausing at the connecting door, giving his best friend one last look. "And smile. It can detect facial features really well. It's Kaiba's technology, after all."

"ssss….Aaah I dunno Yugi…" Jounouchi said nervously, allowing himself to be dragged into the house, and the two boys found themselves standing in an empty living room, with Atem nowhere to be seen.

"Oh shit! Where did he go?!" Yugi cried, panic settling in full blast as he wondered how many ways Kaiba could kill him if he found out that he had lost his precious AI.

Yugi raced up the stairs, passing the bathroom door, which was ajar, and he hesitated before pushing the door to his room open, seeing the AI sitting on his bed, looking very comfortable in his surroundings.

The image was very disturbing.  
A solid, real Atem was sitting on his bed with his slender legs crossed, one over the other.  
The image was disturbing.

"Get off my bed!" Yugi demanded, folding his arms across his chest, frowning angrily at the AI. He needed it to know that his bed was off limits.

Atem frowned worriedly at Yugi, wondering what had gotten into him.

"I always sit here," Atem replied icily, thoroughly fed up with being treated oddly by his Aibou. "Your desk is uncomfortable. You've said it many times yourself."

"Yug…" Jounouchi appeared at the door and froze, staring at the strangest scene he had seen in a while.

Two Yugis.

One dark-skinned Yugi, looking haughty and slightly hurt, and one light-skinned Yugi, with his arms crossed and feet planted apart angrily.

"Oh…wow," Jounouchi said nervously, blinking rapidly as his eyes darted between the twins, thinking that this was the most human-looking AI he had ever seen. There was no way this was an AI, right?

He felt like he was looking at two humans…having a fight.

"Hello Jounouchi," Atem said coldly, not taking his eyes off Yugi's round face. His Aibou's ears were turning red, and he knew this was a telltale sign of embarrassment.

"I said…get off my bed," Yugi enunciated, and he decided to follow it up with a threat. "Get up now, or I send you back."

And to his rising horror, the AI let out a mirthless chuckle, grinning at him in an eerily familiar way.

"Where exactly will you send me back to, Aibou?" Atem laughed, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "The Kaiba mansion? Or even better, the Shadow Realm?"

"Uh… yeah!" Yugi said angrily, losing his patience with the AI. "Don't you know it's rude to sit on other people's beds without asking?"

"Since when do I need to ask?" Atem replied keenly, nodding at the shocked Jounouchi standing dumbstruck and speechless by the doorway of Yugi's room. "Why are you here, Joey?"

There was a long, heavy silence.

Atem frowned, wondering why his tactic wasn't working. The plan was to show Yugi how much of their relationship he remembered, so why was Yugi still taking this so badly?

"Hey…Yugi, outside for a sec?" Jounouchi whispered loudly, pointing over his shoulder, and Atem narrowed his eyes at his blonde friend. "I can hear you. Say it here."

"If you have an idea on how to get him off my bed that doesn't include force, Jou, just tell me what it is," Yugi fumed, and he turned to face his friend, noticing that his forehead was shining with nervous sweat.

"Uh…I don't wanna say it in front of him—" Jounouchi began, and he was interrupted by Atem again. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here. What is it?"

There was another long, heavy silence before Joey finally spoke up again.

"I think he's real, Yugi."

"Oh, he's real alright," Yugi said, narrowing his eyes at his twin, who mirrored his glare strangely. "A real pain. Get off my bed."

"No," Atem replied smugly, folding his arms across his chest, mimicking Yugi's body language.

"Yug…" Jounouchi stepped into the room and grabbed his spiky-haired friend by the arm and dragged him out into the hallway, giving him a firm shake.

Yugi squirmed, attempting to twist out of his grasp, but Joey held on to him firmly.

"Yugi! Yugi…look," Jounouchi whispered, gazing into his friend's round eyes, which were dangerously wet at the corners. "That's not an AI. He's human. Come on, not even Kaiba is that good, unless he grew him in a lab, right, Yugi? But that would take years, right? …Yugi?"

"He's not real, he's not real!" Yugi cried. Tears began flowing from the corners of his eyes, and he palmed them away, his heart pounding painfully in his chest as he tried to compose himself.

"Yeah, I think he _is_ real!" Jounouchi hissed in response, hearing a soft rustle coming from the room, and ignoring it. "His eyes don't look like any robot's eyes I've ever seen. He's real. That's...really Atem in there, Yug. Honda and I were talkin' about it the other day, and that's why we bailed on you guys. We was scared, Yug!"

Yugi took deep, shuddering breaths, his ears ringing with a strange noise as his knees grew weak.

No way…no way….

Had Kaiba really…pulled Atem back from the Afterlife?!  
Was that the reason behind his year-long coma?

Was this why Atem looked younger than him? Because…16 was the Pharaoh's true age before he had passed….

Atem kept his arms tightly crossed, listening intently to the conversation happening within earshot in the hallway, wondering if he should feel relieved.

His good friend Jounouchi had come through for him in the end, shaking Yugi to his senses, but one thing Jounouchi had said, unsettled him.

 _"We was scared, Yug!"_

 _Am I scary?_ Atem wondered sadly, glancing down at his knees.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he ignored it. It was probably Kaiba checking in on him, and there was nothing positive to report.  
Only misery caused by lies.

Suddenly, Yugi rushed into the room and stood over him, looking slightly hysterical, his eyes wet with tears.

"I-Is that really you? A-Atem?" Yugi could barely get the words out of his mouth before the pharaoh stood smoothly and pulled him into a tight hug, pressing his chin firmly into his shoulder, his tears soaking rapidly into the dark fabric of his t-shirt.

"Yes, it really is me, Yugi," Atem replied warmly, letting relief engulf him fully as Yugi's shaking arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and held on for dear life.

He felt Yugi's knees give out, and he slowly eased his Aibou onto the floor, listening to his happy, choking sobs, quieted by his shoulder.

Atem lifted his head and met Jounouchi's gaze over the tips of Yugi's spiky hair, giving him a nod in silent thanks.

His friend gave him a wave, and his shadow disappeared from the edge of the doorway.

* * *

THE END

* * *

 **Author's note:**

The end of the lapis series! Hope you enjoyed it!

Leave a reviewwwww :))))))

thank YLJE for editing it with your sharp eyes!

xo,

Ugliiiii


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